Infinite Posibilities
by Sulphur99
Summary: The Namikazes always had a unique ability: The power of possibilities…Minato gained the Hiraishin in order to reach those he wanted to protect fast enough. Now, Naruto will make his own wish and unlock the power of infinite possibilities. With this power, will he protect? Or will he destroy?
1. Chapter 1:Dreams

**Author's note: Hi! I have been on this site for quite some time now and since I had some ideas swirling around my mind, I thought that I should give writing a fanficion a go. So here I am! Anyways, I am an amateur so my writing may not be up to your expectations. However, if you could give me some constructive criticism, it would really help improve my writing. I would really appreciate it. On another note, I need a beta reader/co-writer so if you're interested please PM me. I apologize if you feel that this note is too long but I need it to give info out sometimes so I would appreciate it if you read these.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or any other things that I may borrow from other series. Naruto and the aforementioned things belong to Kishimoto-san and their respective owners.**

**Normal talking:** "I will never give up!"

**Jutsus: **"Kage Bunshin no Justu! (Shadow Clone Justu!)"

**Thinking/Flashbacks/Dreams: **_"Who am I?"_

_**Bijuu/Summons: **__**"Who dares to summon me?!"**_

* * *

Chapter 1: Dreams

_On a hill in an unknown location, three kids; a boy and two girls, sat enjoying each other's company in comfortable silence. Suddenly, streaks of light flashed across the starry sky._

"_Ah! How pretty…" One of the girls exclaimed. The other two nodded to signal their agreement._

_They watched in silence as the meteor shower illuminated the night sky._

"_Hey….Lets make a promise…" The other girl said, breaking the silence._

"_A promise?" The boy parroted, the first girl looking at the second curiously._

"_Um…Promise that the three of us will always be together!" The second girl replied beaming at the other two. _

"_Yeah, that sounds great!" The boy agreed, smiling. The first girl nodded to show her agreement._

_The three got up and clasped their hands together, the starry sky bearing witness to their promise..._

* * *

Groaning, a boy woke up from his peaceful sleep. He had blond, spikey hair and blue eyes which held a shine of determination in them. He wore a white shirt with a spiral symbol and green shorts. His most defining features were the whisker marks on his cheeks. His name was Uzumaki Naruto.

"That dream again…Wish I really had friends like that…" Naruto muttered, a wistful expression on his face. "Who were those kids anyway?" He asked himself, scrunching his face up in thought. But no matter how hard he tried, he could not remember any notable features of the kids. Giving up, Naruto stretched himself and started the day.

(5 minutes later)

Freshened up and now dressed in an orange tracksuit with blue on the upper shoulders area as well as around the waist, a white swirl with a tassel on the left side, a red Uzumaki swirl crest on the back, a large white collar, orange pants and a pair of green goggles, he ate an quick breakfast of eggs, ham and cheese sandwiches and a glass of milk. With no one taking care of him, Naruto had to learn how to cook for himself. The past 2 years of cooking have made him into a decent cook, though he couldn't remember who taught him.

It was Sunday, so he did not have any lessons at the Academy. With nothing else to do at home, Naruto wore his sandals and went out to the bustling village (though it was more like a city). He walked through the streets, while pondering on what to do today. He got hate-filled glares and stares from the villagers but as he was used to them, he simply brushed them off. He didn't know why they hated him so much, he stopped pranking 2 years ago so it couldn't have been that. And his pranks NEVER did any permanent damage anyway so even if he didn't stop, there should have been no reason he got THAT much hate. He didn't remember who convinced him to stop pranking though, only that someone did.

The nine year old muttered to himself "Wait 'till I become Hokage and then see if you all will hate me."

He decided to go to a training ground to well, train. When he got there, he looked around cautiously but to his relief, it was empty. Getting to work, he passed the rather uneventful morning trying to do the Leaf Concentration practice. He knew the importance of chakra control as that lesson was one of the few lessons that he did not sleep through or was sent out from. If he keeps trying, maybe he'll finally get that pesky Bunshin no Jutsu (Clone Jutsu) down. He trained for some time, taking a break in between for lunch. Getting bored of trying to keep a leaf on his head, Naruto started to do some physical training consisting of basic exercises such as push-ups and squats. They don't really help much in terms of quickly becoming a kickass ninja, but they were neccesary in the long run; especially for Taijutsu.

Time passed quickly and it was soon time for dinner. Naruto strolled to Ichiraku's, already anticipating the salty, delicious broth of ramen. Again since two years ago, Naruto had reduced his intake of ramen. It was painful to his stomach and taste buds but it allowed him to have a healthier body and height. But, yet again, he could not remember why he stopped or who made him do that.

"Yo, Teuchi-ossan, Ayame-neechan!" Naruto greeted jubilantly. The ramen chef and his daughter Ayame were some of the few civilians who did not resent Naruto. They had helped him a lot over the past few years and for that he was grateful.

"Oh, Naruto! Haven't seen for a while, how's your training?" Teuchi asked. He viewed Naruto as a second child and wanted to adopt him. Sadly, those damned council members rejected his application to adopt Naruto. He and Ayame were very attached to him and would sometimes give him ramen for free on his rainy days.

"So, what'll you have today?"

"Tonkotsu Ramen!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly. He has not eaten ramen for 2 weeks and is eager to consume the delicious noodle dish.

He chatted with Teuchi and Ayame over his ramen and bid them farewell when he was done. It was already evening and Naruto started towards his apartment. It wasn't the best of places but it was his home and he liked it.

"What are you doing here demon scum?" A random man shouted at Naruto. Judging from the sway in his steps and slur in his words, he was obviously drunk. Hoping to avoid confrontation, Naruto hastened his pace but it was no use. Soon the drunken man and his company were within reaching distance from him. A shove came from behind and Naruto lost his balance, falling to the ground. Seizing the opportunity, the drunken man and co. tried to punch him. In a split second decision, Naruto managed to do a sweep and made the man fall down. Now unobstructed, Naruto ran towards a random direction. Years of running from people like them provided Naruto with an advantage over the drunken group, and he managed to dodge them. Panting to catch his breath, Naruto slumped down against an alley wall.

"Yeah….I'm not going back there." Naruto muttered to himself. Fortunately, the rest of the trip back home was uneventful. Tired, Naruto quickly showered, changed and fell asleep immediately.

* * *

_Again on the same hill, the three kids silently made their promise together._

"_Oh yeah! I want to give something to you guys!" The second girl exclaimed, searching her bag for something, the other two kids looking at each other in confusion. Face lighting up, she took out three star-shaped charms. They were made out of stained glass with silver frames, and have brown stitches and a brown cord tied to the topmost part._

"_What are these?" The boy asked._

"_They're lucky charms, one for all three for us. My imouto (little sister) and I made them. They symbolize good luck and strong bonds!"_

_The second girl proudly stated. The first girl's charm had green stained glass, the second girl's was blue and the boy's was red._

"_Wow; thanks!" The boy and the first girl happily said._

"_Hey, how about you sing for us eh?" The first girl slyly said to the boy._

"_Sur-Wait what!?" The boy exclaimed, shocked._

"_Are you deaf? I asked you to sing for us!"_

"_Why would you want me to sing?" The boy asked, bewildered._

_The first girl turned her head away to hide her blush and stuttered out" I-i-it's n-n-not l-like I l-like h-h-hearing y-y-ou s-sing or anything. B-baka!_

_Still unsure, the boy turned to the other girl for support. However, her face was red as well._

"_I-I wanna hear you sing too…"She muttered._

"_Wha-Agh fine….Just this once ok?" The boy said, sighing in defeat. The two girls cheered and their faces immediately brightened up. The sudden change in mood made the boy sweatdrop._

"_I don't sing that good do I?" He questioned himself._

_Taking a deep breath, the boy started to sing…_

* * *

"BBBRRIIINNG!"

Startled, Naruto fell off his bed and landed painfully on the floor.

"Ow…Stupid alarm…" Naruto grumbled, stopping the annoying ring of the alarm. He quickly got dressed and had another quick breakfast. Checking his bags to see if he brought all his textbooks, Naruto went off to the Academy. As he walked at a leisurely pace, Naruto could not help but remember the song in his dream. It seemed to called out to him and because of that, the lyrics and tune were stuck in his head and he could just not seem to get them out of his mind. Engrossed in his thoughts, Naruto did not notice that he had already reached the Academy and his body was on auto-pilot towards his class. So engrossed was Naruto that he could not avoid a collision with someone in front of him.

"Kya!" The sudden scream snapped Naruto out of his thoughts as he fell. Rubbing the sore spot on his back where he fell, he looked forward to see who he had collided with. When he saw who it was however, he immediately paled. A pretty, fair skinned girl his age got up in front of him. Her onyx eyes glared venomously at Naruto as she scowled at him. She had straight black hair tied back in a cute twin tail style. She was the most popular student of the Academy, Satsuki Uchiha.

"What's the big idea dobe?" She angrily said. In the background, many of Satsuki's fans were enraged. How dare this loser make their Satsuki fall down! Many were planning to get "revenge" for their "Satsuki-sama's" honor.

"Ahhh, sorry Satsuki-san!" Naruto blurted out, panicking. Her fans were notorious for being extremely dangerous if anyone so much as bump into their "Satsuki-sama", even among their own cliques. Appartenly they feel that no one should be able to even touch their idol. He didn't really respect the Uchiha that much, but survial instincts against the multiple rabid fans behind him made him worried for his life. Picking up his bag, Naruto did the only thing that anyone could have possibly have done in this situation: He ran away. Fast. Dashing away from the growing angry mob, Naruto made a beeline for his class. Making it there without any incident, Naruto slumped down on his table and tried to catch his breath. Suddenly, a hand forcefully grabbed his collar and dragged his out of his seat. Startled, Naruto turned and saw a boy his age with messy brown hair, sharp black eyes with vertical slit-like pupils, pronounced canine teeth and the most defining feature of all, the distinctive red fang markings of the Inuzuka clan on his cheeks. He was Inuzuka Kiba, one of Satsuki most "loyal(read: obsessed)" followers. Gulping, Naruto tried to diffuse the situation.

"H-hey Kiba…Can I help you?"

Kiba gave no reply and simply growled at Naruto. He raised his fist ad Naruto knew he would not be able to catch the blow. So he shut his eyes and braced himself for the inevitable pain. It never came. Opening his eyes, Naruto looked up to see a man with brown hair tied in a ponytail. He wears the standard Konoha shinobi outfit complete with forehead protector, sandals, and flak jacket. His sleeves are also slightly rolled up. He had black eyes and a scar across his nose. He was Umino Iruka, the sensei for Naruto's class.

"There will be absolutely NO fighting in my class! Do I make myself clear Kiba?" Iruka asked; his expression stern.

Backing down, Kiba let go of Naruto; glaring at him. Relieved, Naruto went back to his seat. In a fist fight against Kiba, Naruto knew he would lose. The Inuzuka were known for their prowess in Taijutsu and Naruto wasn't exactly very good at it nor did he have any Ninjutsu to combat him with. With the lesson starting, Naruto tried to focus on Iruka's lesson, ignoring the loud fanboying which signalled Satsuki's arrival into the class.

* * *

The lunch bell rang and on cue most of the students rushed out of the class. Naruto, who has been repeatedly denied service from the lunch ladies, made his own bento which he silently ate in a secluded area near his classroom. Again, the song came unbidden in his mind. Seeing as no one was around, Naruto decided to sing some of the lyrics in hope of getting them out of his mind.

"_Mada kurai asa no machi wo (From the still-dark morning's town_

_Yami ga sukoshi tokete yuku yo The darkness is slowly lifting up_

_Tell me, boku ga sagashiteiru Tell me, I'm searching_

_Kotae ni mo itsuka wa for the answer to when _

_Mabushii hikari ga sasu?" the dazzling light will shine)_

A gasp broke Naruto's focus from his song. Turning all he could see was hints of black hair running away from him. Whoever was there was now gone. The bell rang again and Naruto packed his bento up and went back to class.

But he can't help but think: who was watching me?

* * *

Gasping for breath a lone girl stood in front of a mirror in the washroom.

"How? How does the dobe know that song!?" She whispered to herself.

"I-I need more proof…" Looking up she calmed herself and walked back to class with a new goal.

Uchiha Satsuki was determined to find out the truth. The truth of what her repeated dreams meant.

**So what do you think? Tell me what are your opinions on this story. Oh and before you ask, no I am not making a songfic. Well, not completely at least. There may or may not be instances of songs coming up but it is honestly undecided for now. The now in this chapter is simply a way I am trying to move the plot forward. Constructive criticism and normal reviews only please. Flames will be used to cook ramen. If this story gains enough support I'll try my best to update regularly. No promises though, for I have school. Well, I'll (hopefully) see you all next time!**

**PS: The song is Message by Seto Koji.  
**


	2. Chapter 2: Deep Dive

**Author's note: Hi people! I've gotten a couple of positive reviews that really got me motivated. I thank you people for your support and I'll try my best not to let you down.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other concepts/song/whatever that may appear in this fanfiction. They all belong to their respective owners.**

**Normal talking:** "I will never give up!"

**Jutsus: **"Kage Bunshin no Justu! (Shadow Clone Justu!)"

**Thinking/Dreams/Flashbacks: **_"Who am I?"_

* * *

**Bijuu/Summons: **_**"Who dares to summon me?!"**_

**Chapter 2: Deep Dive**

"**DING DING DING DONG"**

The bell rang, signaling the release of the ninjas-in-training from their classes. The children streamed out of the Academy, eager to rejoin their family at home. All expect for a certain blond boy.

"Hah..." Naruto sighed, tired from the boring lessons. Not to mention the debacle with Satsuki and her fans.

As he strolled along the road, silently basking in the cool evening air, Naruto couldn't help but think about what happened during lunch.

"_Who was watching me I wonder?"_ Naruto thought to himself. His stomach grumbled, breaking him out of his thoughts. He hurried home, reaching his apartment without incident this time. He made a delicious dinner of rice, miso soup and a mackerel, which the Ichirakus were kind enough to sell it to him at a cheap price.

**(Two hours later)**

Yawning, Naruto finished the last of his homework. After packing his bag in preperation of tomorrow lessons, Naruto quicking got into bed and fell asleep.

**At an unknown location**

Falling. Falling. Falling. That was all Naruto could feel right now.

"Am I going to fall forever?" He asked himself.

He got an answer in the form of water hitting his face. Slowly, his body descended and he felt his feet come into contact with something solid. Managing to stand upright, Naruto took a look around his surroundings. All he saw was black. He couldn't see anything but himself in this weird place.

Suddenly, in a burst of radiant light, the platform he was standing on slowly gained colour. When it finished, Naruto could now see clearly that he was standing on a illuminated stained-glass pillar. To his shock, he saw a depiction of himself on the surface of the glass. A sleeping Naruto holding the lucky charm he saw in his dreams was painted on to the glass. It was mainly red with a black rim. In the background there were two silhouettes,both distinctly female. Curious, Naruto started to walk around the platform. Peering over the edge of the platform, Naruto was shocked to see that the platform rose up from a seemingly bottomless abyss. Not wanting to plument to his doom, he backed away back to the middle of the platform.

"Man, just what is this place?"

Suddenly,a voice echoed out from nowwhere.

**_"__Don't worry...You are in a place where you shall decide your path."_**

"Who's there?!" Naruto exclaimed in shock. "And what do you mean by path?"

_"****__You have so much to do...so little time...Now walk forward to the circle of light in front of you. Can you do it?_**___"_**

Offended that this bodiless voice is doubting his ability to walk, Naruto spat. "Of course I can! What do you think I am?"

Grumpily, Naruto walked forward within the circle of light.

_"****__Good...So many possibilities lie within you...And with it comes power...If you give it form...It will give you strength...Choose wisely."_

As the bodiless voice said that, five pedestals rose up from the platform. One by one, a weapon materialised on the each. One was a katana, another was a bow, the next was a wooden shaft with a long, curved blade, the one after that was a spear and the last was a battleaxe.

First approaching the axe, Naruto tried lifting it. It was suprisingly light. On closer examination, the axe was coloured a dusty brown,not unlike dirt, with a two-sided steel blade and handle. It was long, long enough to be considered a polearm.

_"****__The Axe...Unyielding, unrelenting...An immovable guardian...Is this the path you seek?"_

Deciding to check his other options first, Naruto put the axe down and moved on to the spear. It was longer than Naruto's height so it was quite unwieldy. It was light and brandished a pair of curved blades around its central lance. It had a black shaft with yellow lightling bolt marks on it.

_**"The Yari (Spear)...Piercing through anything, striking faster than the target can react...A unviewable speed...Is this the path you seek?"**_

Again putting the spear down, Naruto then moved on to the shaft with the curved blade. Now that he was close to it, he identified it as a Naginata. As he picked it up, he noticed that it was WAY lighter than the previous two. It felt almost weightless,though it was still quite unwieldy as it was about the same length as the spear. It had a green shaft with a white tsuba and the blade was curved.

**_"The Naginata...Balance of striking and defending...Soaring above your enemies with a single stroke...Is this the path you seek?"_**

Ignoring the voice, Naruto moved on to the bow. It was a typical bow, with the wood painted blue.

_**"The Bow...Shooting the enemy from afar...Not giving the enemy a chance to get close...Is this the path you seek?"**_

Finally reaching the katana, Naruto picked it up. The katana had different sensation from the rest, it felt familiar in his hands. It had a curved, slender, single-edged blade with a circular guard. Its grip was long enough for two adult-sized hands to firmly grip it. The grip and guard were red and the blade was a sleek black.

_**"The Katana...Striking down your enemies with strength and courage...Great power to destroy...Or protect...Is this the path you seek?" **_The voice asked for the final time.

The katana seemed to be resonating with him like it was calling him, so Naruto slowly nodded.

_**"Your path is set..."**_

As the voice said that, Naruto noticed that the glass started cracking. Suddenly, the other pedestals collapsed, causing the glass to shatter as well.

"AAAAHHHHHHHH!" Naruto screamed as he plummeted into the inky darkness.

"Mmm..." When he came to, Naruto saw that he was on another platform. It had the same design as before, only this time he held a katana in his right hand and the charm in his left. The silhouettes were unchanged. Naruto then noticed the katana he chose was lying on the floor next to him.

_**"You have gained the power to fight...Use this strength to protect yourself and others...For there will be times where you have to fight."**_

As the voice said that, a path made from more stained glass appeared, connecting to another platform.

_**"Now go and face the beginning of your trials..."**_

"Not like I have much of a choice..."Naruto grumbled to himself. "Might as well get this over with."

Naruto started running up the path towards the next platform. When he reached there he saw that the platform had a much more differnt design than the previous two. This time, it had three circles in the middle, each one containing the lucky charms he saw in his dreams. Spotting light shining down on a spot, Naruto moved towards it.

"**The closer you get to the light...The bigger your shadow becomes..."**

Naruto turned around and saw his shadow stretched across the diameter of the platform. Suddenly, it turned on its own and started to rise up. Shocked, Naruto started to step away from his ever growing shadow. It grew to collosal heights and was completely black with yellow eyes. It retained his body shape but honestly looked like a monstrous mockery of himself.

"W-w-what IS that thing?!" Terrified, Naruto started to run away from it. But he forgot that the platform was surrounded with nothing but a black abyss. Stopping himself just in time from falling, Naruto turned back to face the giant monstrosity.

_**"But don't be afraid...And don't forget..."**_

"Don't forget WHAT?" Naruto shouted. But no reply came back. Remembering that he had a katana, Naruto put the blade in front of him in a basic stance, his hands gripping tightly. The shadow lauched its fist at him, but fortunately for Naruto, it was slow enough for him to dodge it. Taking the opportunity, Naruto started to slash wildly at the fist near him. Instead of blood, inky black darkness came out of its wounds, vapourising the moment it came out. The wounds then rapidly closed. However, the shadow did seemed to be slightly weakened from the damage.

Naruto sidestepped another fist and proceeded to slash at it again. The shadow pulled its hand back and started to kneel down. Energy gathered near its chest as it brought its arms together across its chest. It then released balls of energy which shot straight at Naruto. Caught off guard, Naruto was struck by the orbs of energy.

"GAAHHH!" He screamed out in pain, clutching his chest where he was hit. "I don't think I'll be able to survive another one of those..."

Dodging yet another fist, Naruto brought his weapon up to strike at the shadow. But just as he swung down his arm, the katana disappeared in a flash of light.

"What the?! Gah!" Naruto screamed out as he barely dodged a fist. He landed on his butt and looked up at the shadow in fear. Darkness started to gather around his body and he slowly started to sink inside. Naruto, now left powerless, stared into the shadow's blank yellow eyes.

_**"-But don't be afraid..." **_The voice started again as Naruto was swallowed up by the darkness pooling around him. As his vision left him, Naruto heard the voice one last time.

_**"And don't forget: You hold the greatest weapon of all..."**_

**A/N: And done! So what do you think of this new chapter? The things happening in this chapter will play a huge role in Naruto's powers later on. I based this chapter of a scene in a game. Props to you if you know what that game is. I don't really have much to say so please give a review. Constructive criticism only please. I haven't gotten any flames yet but I would appreciate it if you didn't flame. Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3: Run for your Life!

**A/N: Hello guys and gals! I had too much time on my hands so here's a new chapter! Bet you weren't expecting one so soon huh? Anyway, some of you may be displeased with the whole stereotypical "Naruto gets a sword" thing but I can assure you, I am going to do things differently. I won't give away everything right now, but I will say one thing: All the weapons in the second chapter will have a part to play in this fanfiction. That is all.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other concepts/song/whatever that may appear in this fanfiction. They all belong to their respective owners.**

**Normal talking:** "I will never give up!"

**Jutsus: **"Kage Bunshin no Justu! (Shadow Clone Justu!)"

**Thinking/Dreams/Flashbacks: **_"Who am I?"_

* * *

**Bijuu/Summons: **_**"Who dares to summon me?!"**_

**Chapter 3: Run for your life!**

"AH!"Naruto jolted awake, sweating heavily and gasping for air. When he finally calmed down, Naruto began thinking back to the weird dream he just had.

"What in Kami's name was that? It felt like I was falling into a deep void, unable to get out..." He mused. He turned his head left and spotted his clock. It read 5 A.M, much earlier than what Naruto usually woke up at. Unable to go back to sleep, especially not after that dream/nightmare, Naruto freshened up and sated his hunger. With lessons not starting until three hours later, Naruto grabbed his bag decided to take a stroll around the village. The town was still mostly asleep, with only the light sleepers, night partiers and night-shift workers occupying the streets. The skies were still dark with a cresent moon illuminating the early morning sky.

Eventually reaching a empty training ground, Naruto seized the opportunity to get some training in.

He started with some light physical exercises consisting of squats and crunches. After doing 15 of each, he then moved on to the Leaf Concentration exercise. Taking a random leaf from a nearby tree, he placed it on his forehead and started to focus his chakra. The leaf stayed there for only about five minutes. Disappointed, Naruto decided to head to the Academy early to find something to kill some time.

_As she ran in fear from the pandemonium around her, she saw the devastation cause by the nuke-nins. The village around her was in ruins, burning down and its inhabitants getting slaughtered around her. She saw a small child standing alone sobbing in fear as well as her injured friend lying a distance away from the child, arms shaking and reaching out towards the child. Suddenly, a fireball lauched out and exploded at where the child was standing. Not a single trace of the child was left. Devastated, her friend dropped to his knees and screamed in anguish. As more nuke-nins approached, she heard her friend scream. _

"_You did this! This is all your fault! You killed her! I-I WON'T FORGIVE YOU!" The nuke-nins just laughed at her friend. After all, what could one seven-year old child do to them? _

_The boy then shouted out. "Moeru (Blaze)-" She couldn't hear the rest as her world exploded in raging flames._

Snapping her eyes open, Satsuki awoke from her sleep. Rising up from her soft, luxurious bed, she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"Mou...Another weird dream..."She grumbled. These sort of dreams were starting to get slightly more frequent than usual. They usually consisted of her being happily playing with two other children or weird dreams like the one just now. She knew that they were just dreams as she had no memory of a burning village or ever having any friends to play with. Sure, she had her large fanbase, but she didn't exactly consider them "friends" of any sort nor did she really interact with them either. She just let them do their own thing so long as they don't get in her way. Her fanbase isn't just limited to just her fellow schoolmates though. No, she had many adult fans too. They were usually shopkeepers who would give her insane discounts or sometimes even things for free. How nice. How pathetic. She hated it. All she wanted was to be able to get strong enough to kill **that **man. The one who ruined everything. Breaking out of her thoughts, she hurriedly freshened up and got dressed. She now wore a blue t-shirt with the Uchiha clan symbol at the back along with a plain black skirt and black ninja sandals. Her hair was tied up in twin tails with a pair of red ribbons she got as a birthday present two years ago. As she walked down the wooden hallways of the Uchiha compound, she tried not to think about the days where these empty halls used to be vibrant with life and activity. It was depressing and made her feel lonelier than she already was. True, she had slowly gotten used to it over the past year, but the wounds on her mind and heart still felt fresh. Making a quick breakfast of eggs scrambled with tomatoes, quickly fed herself and got ready for Academy lessons.

As she was walking however, she couldn't help but think about the newly found enigma that was Uzumaki Naruto. She didn't really think much of him, only that he was a slight nuisance with his actions. She respected his will of never giving up though. She was also slightly curious on why some teachers used to send him out of class for the pettiest reasons, but since it didn't affect her at all, she ignored it. Other than that, she didn't really pay much attention to him. But now, with him suddenly knowing the song that appeared in her recurring dreams you could say she was...intrigued. She never told anyone about her dreams or any details in them. She didn't hear the song from anywhere other than her dreams so it couldn't have been a popular song. If dreams were actually memories, and Naruto used to be her friend, she needed to know why they stopped being friends and why couldn't she remember her time with him and the other girl. Realising that she had already reached the Academy, Satsuki broke herself from her thoughts and headed for her classroom. As expected, the classroom was devoid of any human life aside from herself. Sitting at her usual seat at the upper left corner of the room, next to a window, Satsuki glanced at the clock hung up on the wall near the blackboard. It was 7.50 a.m, meaning that lessons would be starting in 30 minutes. Suddenly, the classroom door opened. Expecting it to be the Iruka, Satsuki prepare a greeting to him. What she did not expect however, was to see a certain blond-haired boy standing at the door instead of Iruka. Akwardly, Naruto raised a hand and made a small wave to her.

"Erm...Ohayou (Good morning)." He said to her.

"Ohayou." She replied back, nodding at him.

" S-sorry for bumping into you the other day!" Naruto blurted out after a long akward silence. Accepting his apology, Satsuki decided to get some information out of him.

"Uzumaki."

"Eh?"

"I have something I want to ask you."

But at that moment the bell rang and other students started to stream into the class. Having lost her chance, Satsuki turned her attention away from Naruto and stopped speaking. She didn't want any rumours spreading and a boy and a girl being in a room talking alone was quick fuel for rumours to spread. Even if she didn't like the attention she got, she still had a reputation to keep. Realising that Satsuki has stopped the conversation, Naruto went back to his seat.

**(8 hours later)**

It was now 4.00 p.m in the afternoon and lessons have just ended. Naruto, wanting to get a bit more of training in, went to find a training ground. He eventually found one and started to do some push-ups and burpees. Again, he did 15 of each and then start on the Leaf concentration exercise. Focusing his chakra, Naruto tried to beat his previous limit of five minutes. He managed to improve by a small ten seconds but it was quite insignificant. Demotivated, Naruto sat down.

"Ah...What should I do now?" He asked himself. Then, he noticed a long branch near him. Remembering the katana in his dream, he picked up the branch. Giving it a few test swings, he put it in front of him in a basic stance he remembered seeing some _Chūnins_ using when they were training. He then started to do some slashs at the air, trying to get a feel on how to use a katana. After an hour with little to no progress, Naruto retired for the day and headed back home. On his way home, Naruto got some unwelcome company.

"Oh, look who's here, the demon brat!" A drunk spat out. He and his fellow drunks started to gather and soon a mob appeared.

"Lets get revenge on the demon for our lost family!" Chants and shouts of agreement rose out from the drunken crowd. With no options left, Naruto hurriedly ran away from the bloodthirsty mob. They gave chase after him, wielding an assortment of random objects that they picked up. Naruto eventually reached a fenced off area with signs reading: "Warning! Forest of Death ahead! Do not go in unless you have special permission from the Hokage!" But Naruto, who was running for his life, did not even notice the sign. Preferring to be inside a forest than be beaten by an angry mob, Naruto quickly climbed the fence and dashed into the thick forest. With the sounds of the mob fading away, Naruto dropped down and leaned against a tree,exhausted.

"Whew...That was close..." But then he noticed his location. "...Erm...Where am I?" Glancing around the unfamiliar forest, Naruto started to panic. All the directions looked the same and he could not pinpoint where he ran in from.

"_**I'm gonna die..."**_ A female voice rang out.

"Huh? What was that? Who's there?" Shocked, Naruto looked around frantically.

"_**Ah, you can hear me?"**_

"Y-yeah, but who and where are you?"

"_**It doesn't matter...I'm going to die anyway..."**_

"What are you talking about?" Naruto asked confused, as he walked towards the direction of the voice.

"_**I don't have any more energy left, I don't think I'll last much longer..."**_ Finally finding the source of the voice, Naruto was shocked to see a dark-skinned girl collapsed on the ground. But that wasn't what shocked him. No, it was because her body seemed to be smouldering while her hair seemed to be made out of fire. Oh, and that she was naked. There was that too.

"What happened to you? How can I help you?" Naruto asked, his kindness shining through his caution of this weird girl.

"_**I'm...**_

Face serious, Naruto asked. "You're?"

"_**I'm..."**_

Again, Naruto asked. "You're?"

"_**I'm soooooo huuunnngry..." **_

Face-faulting, Naruto shouted. "THAT'S IT?!"

**(An hour later)**

"_**Ah...I'm saved"**_ The tiny girl said, rubbing her sated belly. She was now dressed in a set of spare clothes that Naruto had.

Naruto looked at her annoyed, as she ate about a week's worth of his food. For someone that small, she sure could eat a lot...He somehow managed to get her back to his apartment, after a long search for an exit, without anyone seeing. Thank Kami for that too, for he was already embarrassed holding a naked girl in his hands. He didn't need being assumed to be a rapist to add on to his already bad reputation among the villagers.

"So? Who are you? Why were you collapsed in the forest?" Naruto asked.

"_**Huh? Oh, I was exploring the place."**_ The girl said nonchalantly.

"Exploring?"

"_**Yup! I just got here a few days ago. I was strolling two days ago and I saw this forest. Curious, I went inside to check it out."**_

"Ok, but that still doesn't explain why you were collapsed there."

"_**Ah...About that...I may have forgot to bring some supplies with me."**_ She said, sheepishly rubbing the back of her head. Face-faulting once more, Naruto sighed in exasperation.

"_**Anyway,since you saved me I now owe you what do you want?"**_ She asked, leaning back on the chair.

"Huh? I don't need anything." Naruto said.

"_**Eh? You don't want anything?"**_

"Nope."

"_**Then why did you help me?"**_

That gave Naruto pause. Indeed,why did he save her? Suddenly, a scene flashed by him.

_A lone girl about seven-years old was surrounded by a group of older kids. _

"_You think you're so great just because you were born into a clan?" one of them asked._

"_N-n-n-n-no t-t-that's n-n-not t-true." The girl stuttered out,terrified._

"_She's lying, all of you clan people are all looking down on us that's what Dad and Mom told me!"Another boy shouted._

"_N-n-no I-I-I d-d-don't!" The girl denied._

_Suddenly, a voice rang out. _

"_Hey, pick on someone your own size!" A boy shouted at the bullies._

"_Oh, look, it's **that** guy." The first bully sneered._

"_My Mom and Dad told me to stay away from him. They said that he was dangerous."_

"_Bah, what can a little kid do? Get him!" _

_**(10 minutes later)**_

_Gasping in pain, the boy collapsed on the ground. The bullies laughed and walked off. Seeing that the danger was gone, the girl timidly went to the injured boy._

"_A-a-ano...A-a-are y-y-y-you o-o-ok?_

"_Yeah, hurts a lot though." The boy replied in a pained voice._

"_W-w-why d-d-did y-y-y-ou h-help m-me?" The girl shyly asked._

"_Huh? Do I need a reason to help someone?" The boy replied, smiling radiantly at the last part._

"_What was that?"_ Naruto thought to himself. But the words seemed to resonate within him.

"_**I ask you again, why did you help me?"**_ The girl asked with a serious tone. This time, almost reflexively Naruto answered.

"Do I need a reason to help someone?"

Shocked into silence by his answer, the girl stared at Naruto. She did not expect a child to say something like that.

Getting a hold of herself she asked: _**"Surely there's something you want?"**_

"Well, I do want to know how to use a katana...Like how some of the Jōnin do! But, I don't think anyone would want to teach me..." After hearing his request, the girl grinned.

"_**Well, you're in luck! I just so happen to be an expert at using swords!"**_ The girl claimed proudly.

"Ah, I see."Naruto said nonchalantly and looked away while his brain started to compute what she said.

"EEEHHHHHH?!" He did a double-take and shouted in suprise.

"But you look younger than me!"

"_**Ufufu,only in appearance boy! I have been around for thousands of years!"**_ She stated proudly.

"Doesn't that make you old?" Poor Naruto, he forgot the first rule when it came to women: NEVER call them old. A tick mark appeared on the girl's head and her eyes were shadowed.

"_**I AM NOT OLD! I AM JUST EXPERIENCED!"**_ She screamed out, her hair flaring up. Luckily, she had enough self-control to not burn through Naruto's spare clothes.

"Ack! I'm sorry,I'm sorry!" Naruto yelled out in a panic.

Calming herself down, she folded her arms across her chest and glared at Naruto.

"_**Now that you understand, do you want to learn how to use a katana or not?"**_

Nodding eagerly, Naruto said: "Yes, please!"

Satisfied with his answer, the girl then stood up to walk away towards Naruto's bedroom.

"_**Then your training shall start tommorow.I'm going to get some sleep. Oyasumi (Goodnight)!"**_

"Oyasumi...Wait, we still haven't introduced ourselves! I'm Uzumaki Naruto, what's your name?"

"_**Hmmm, you can call me Salamander."**_

Salamander...That was the name of the girl that was going to train him. Excited for tomorrow, Naruto cleared the dishes. When he was done, he realised one important detail.

"Wait...If she's sleeping in my room, where will I sleep?!"

_Next time on Infinite Possibilities:_

"_Ne,Jiji, I've been having weird dreams lately..." Naruto said to Sarutobi inside the Hokage's office._

_As Naruto exited the room, Sarutobi turned back and looked at the peaceful village._

"_So...He's starting to remember..."He mused to himself looking out the window in his office._

"_Why have you been talking to me so much recently?"_

"_...I guess you could say...That, I'm curious."_

**A/N: So, how was it? Like what I did? Or did you hate it?**

**If I get enough reviews, I may answer some of them. Oh and did you like the little preview I put? Do you think I should do that for all the other chapters from now on? **

**Please leave review to let me know!**

**P.S: I still need a beta/co-writer...**

**P.P.S: Props to you if you could guess who was the girl in the flashback. Should be pretty obvious though...Props to you too if you know where I got Salamander from!**


	4. Chapter 4: Hidden Secrets

**A/N: Agh... Again, too much time on my hands, so here's another chapter! Now, since I've seen some of the reviews I've gotten, I would like to answer them and/or clear some misconceptions. (I'll only answer those with enough things for me to answer though.)**

**So let's start with the reviews from chapter 1 till 3.**

**Without Sleep: Thanks for your review, while this IS my first time writing a fanfic, I wouldn't say it is my first time writing per say. As for how long this fic would be, I am aiming for to at least reach the 100K+ range. Ambitious, I know but I want to set a high goal for my first time.**

**Dayfox96: Thank you for you kind words, I am intending to make the suspense last for quite a bit of time, possibly as a small sub-plot. I am not very confident in writing fight/ romance scenes but I will take your advice into account and try my best.**

**Greenblue22: Thank you for your review, the identity of the second girl may be revealed soon so let as see if your guess is correct shall we? (Even though it should be kinda obvious)**

**Wandering Bard Alpha: It's a little hard for me NOT to do a harem when this story is already heading into the direction of having a harem. Yes folks, it's official. This story WILL have Naruto getting a harem. Who's in the harem? I won't say for now other than the two girls in his dreams.**

**Renegadestarforce: Fairy Tail? I have nothing of the sort in this fanfiction. I think you assumed that because of the name Salamander. Well, I'll tell you now, Salamander is NOT Natsu Dragneel in any way, shape or form. Naruto will not be learning any Fire Dragon Slaying Techiques. At all. That ain't meant for this fanfiction.**

**Anyway, if you guys haven't realised it by now, I am taking some elements from Kingdom Hearts. However, I am simply taking some concepts from it which I think would fit well into this piece of writing. There will be no Heartless and Nobodies though, nor will any characters from KH appear.**

**On other news, I am impressed by the number of views this story is getting. Barely a week and this story has already broke a 1000 total views. I think that's a pretty good achievement, considering the fact that this is my first fanfiction. I would like to thank all you readers for giving this story a chance! You guys/gals rock!**

**Finally, I would like to wish any Muslim viewers: Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitr! (Even though it is a little early by the time this chapter has been posted.)**

**I appologize for this long A/N but I needed to get somethings out of the way.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other concepts/song/whatever that may appear in this fanfiction. They all belong to their respective owners.**

**Normal talking:** "I will never give up!"

**Jutsus: **"Kage Bunshin no Justu! (Shadow Clone Justu!)"

**Thinking/Dreams/Flashbacks: **_"Who am I?"_

**Bijuu/Summons: **_**"Who dares to summon me?!"**_

* * *

**Chapter 4:Hidden Secrets**

"Ahhh..." Plopping down on his couch, Naruto struggled to catch his breath. His entire body was aching and his clothes were scorched. It had been 2 weeks since Salamander had started training him. He shivered when he remembered the absolute hell he was put through in just two weeks.

* * *

"_Why did you ask me to wear my spare clothes?" Naruto asked, confused. They were standing in an empty training ground. _

_**"You'll seen soon enough!" **_Salamander said with a huge grin on her face.

_**"Now before we start on your katana training, we're going to do some light exercises and by we I mean you."**_

"Ok...But what will we be doing?"

_**"You want to be a ninja right?"**_

"Yeah." Naruto repiled, suddenly having a feeling of dread.

_**"Well then, you're going to have to learn how to dodge attacks then!" **_As she said that, a fireball appeared above her hand. She then chucked it straight at Naruto.

"GAH!" Screaming in fear, Naruto quickly jumped to the left, dodging the fireball.

"Are you trying to kill me?!" He shouted with his eyes wide, still shaken from having a fireball thrown at him.

_**"Nonsense! These fireballs are toned down so they won't outright kill you...Unless you get hit too much of course. Enough chit-chat, let's begin~!"**_

* * *

Naruto dreaded to think about what other horrors await him in his training. He still had to go to the Academy after training and he was not looking forward to it. Changing into his normal outfit, Naruto picked up his bag and dragged his sore body to class.

**Meanwhile...**

Satsuki was in deep thought as she ignored the gaggle of fans around her. The more she pondered the mystery revolving around her, Naruto and another unknown girl, the more confusing it got. If they were as close as her dreams told her they were, why did they seperate from each other? And why couldn't she remember? It was so frustrating! The bell rang and she knew class had started, but she just couldn't focus on the lesson, instead looking out the window beside her.

(8 hours later)

With lessons ending, Satsuki calmly packed her bags. She was still perplexed by her situation. Remembering her conversation with Naruto, she then realised that she hadn't asked her question yet. Resolving to find him, Satsuki went out from the Academy's main gate on to the streets of Konoha.

**Meanwhile...**

Sarutobi giggled to himself as he turned the page of his student's novel,Icha Icha Paradise. He greatly enjoyed his student's works as a good distractions from the horrors of paperwork. Suddenly somebody knocked on the door.

"Hah...Come in..." Sarutobi sighed, thinking it was his secretary bring more paperwork to him. To his pleasant surprise however, he saw a certain blond boy at the door.

"Ah, Naruto, it has been quite some time since you last visited me. Don't tell me you're getting bored of this old man." Sarutobi joked. He was happy to see his surrogate grandson doing well, especially after **that **incident two years ago.

"Yo Jiji (Old man)! Sorry, I was busy training to become an awesome ninja like you." Naruto said jubilantly. He hadn't seen his surrogate grandfather for quite a long time. Sarutobi had taken care of him ever since he was kicked out of the orphanage when he was five and for that he was grateful to the old Hokage.

"So, why are you here today Naruto?" Sarutobi asked. Not that he minded the company, but he was curious as to why Naruto visited now.

Suddenly, Naruto's happy expression changed to a troubled one.

"N-ne Jiji, I've...been having these strange dreams lately..."

"Strange dreams?" Sarutobi inquired ,now slightly worried.

"Yeah. I've been dreaming about weird stuff. Things like sitting on a hill with two friends and making a promise or fighting a giant shadow version of myself."

"Perhaps they were simply nightmares?" Sarutobi suggested.

"I thought so too but...The dreams about making a promise...It felt so real and more like a memory..." Naruto said, downcast.

"If these dreams aren't dreams and are actually memories, then why can't I remember who they were? Why aren't they with me now? Why...why am I alone?!" Naruto frantically said, shouting the last part. Sarutobi was shocked into silence. He did not expect Naruto to be habouring such dark thoughts. But before he could comfort him, Naruto then turned back towards the door.

"I-I'm sorry for disturbing you Jiji...Take care of yourself."And then he walked away.

"Hah..." Sarutobi sighed to himself. "So...He's starting to remember..." He turned himself to face the wall with portraits of past Hokages hung on it,but he was only looking at one portrait in paticular.

"Sometimes...I wonder if I made the right decision Minato. All I can do now is hope that when he remembers everything, he will be able remain sane." Sarutobi mused, taking out his pipe and lighting it up with a small, quick fire jutsu. Now, all he could do is hope that Naruto would one day understand his actions.

**(An hour later)**

_**"You seem depressed."**_ Salamander noted, looking concerned at Naruto.

"Huh? Oh, yeah..." Naruto muttered back.

_**"Anything you want to get off your chest?" **_Salamander inquired. Naruto hesitated, before saying.

"What should you do when you've been dreaming of things that felt like memories, but you don't actually have any memory of it?"

"_**Huh?"**_ Salamander said, confused by the question.

"N-nevermind, I'm going to bathe." Naruto said, rushing to the bathroom, leaving Salamander to worry about her new student. Over the past few days, he was starting to grow on her. He was hardworking, determined and never gave up. Sure, he complained a lot but he ended up doing whatever she asked for anyway. Naruto had a lot of potential and seemed fit to be a katana user.

However, she has observed that beneath his happy-go-lucky appearance, something or someone seems to be bothering him. She honestly felt worried as she hadn't had a student in a long time and didn't want to stop training a boy with so much potential like Naruto.

"_**Guess I'll leave him alone for now. Wouldn't want to pry."**_

* * *

Tired, Satsuki plopped down on her plush,comfy bed. Her room wasn't what one would call "girly", only having what was neccesary like a dresser, a couple of windows, and two sliding doors. One lead to a bathroom and the other lead to a hallway connecting to the rest of the compound. She couldn't find Naruto at all throughout the village! It was so frustrating! Huffing, she laid down and decided to get some sleep as it was getting late.

* * *

"_Your Message~?" As the boy finished singing, the two girls seated next to him clapped happily. _

"_Ah...Finished."_

"_That was great!" The first girl cheered, the second one nodding._

"_Glad you two enjoyed it..." The boy said in an annoyed and sarcastic tone. _

"_Yosh, now it's both of your turns!" The boy exclaimed._

"_EEEHHHH?!" The two girls shouted in surprise._

"_It's only fair! You go first!" The boy said, pointing at the first girl._

"_M-me? Why me?" She protested._

"_You were the one who told me to sing so now it's your turn!" _

_The girl grumbled something unintelligeble under her breath before sighing._

"_F-f-fine, but i-i-it's n-not l-l-like I'm d-doing it for y-y-you or anything." She said, turning her blushing face away._

"_Yatta (All Right)!"_

"_Mou..Baka..."_

"_Kodoku ga hoho wo nurasu nurasu kedo (My cheeks are wet,are wet with my loneliness_

_Yoake no kehai ga shizuka ni michite But I'll be quietly filled with the signs of dawn _

_Watashi wo sora e maneku yu and they invite me into the sky_

_Kibou ga kanata de matteru sou da yo iku yo" Hope is waiting beyond here, that's right-so let's go)_

* * *

Naruto woke up from yet another dream. They seemed to be getting more and more frequent...

Getting ready for another round of training from Salamander, Naruto freshened up and went to cook breakfast for both himself and Salamander.

**Meanwhile...**

Satsuki yawned, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"_Today, I'll talk to the dobe for sure!" _She thought to herself as she got ready for the day. She was tired of not getting any answers and wanted to at least get some more information this time. With her goal in mind, she set out for the Academy.

**10 minutes later...**

To her disappointment, the blond Uzumaki was nowhere to be seen. Realising that she may not get another chance like last time, she decided to try and find him after class. Thus, she started to thnk about what to say. She couldn't come across as too interested otherwise rumours might spread if they were seen. But she shouldn't come across as too cold or he might be scared off. Agh, being tactful is so annoying...

**At the same time...**

Naruto walked across the hallway of the Academy. To his relief, Salamander had decided to give him a small break from training today, instead going out to "take care of some business" in her own words. What "business" Naruto didn't know but he didn't think it would be good for his health.

Sliding the door open, Naruto did not expect to see the unofficial Academy Idol to be sittting alone in the classroom. Noticing his arrival, she turned to look at him. For a split second, she looked like she was happy to see him, but then her expression faded back into her usual indifferent face. Thinking that it was only a figment of his imagination, Naruto shook it off and instead turned to face her.

"Ohayou." He greeted, unsure what to say to her.

"Ohayou" She greeted back, nodding. _ "This is my chance!"_ She thought to herself.

"Uzumaki."

"Eh?"

Averting her eyes, Satsuki asked: "Did you...Did you had any...strange dreams lately?"

Eyes widening in shock, Naruto stared at the Uchiha with his mouth slightly open. But before he could answer , the classroom door slid open once again.

"Oi dobe! Why are you bothering my Satsuki-chan?!" Naruto and Satsuki turned to see Kiba at the door with his face pulled into a snarl.

"_Stupid mutt, interrupting my information gathering! And what does he mean by "HIS"?!"_ Satsuki thought, annoyed at having her conversation interrupted.

"I still haven't punished you for bumping into her last time you know!"

"_Geez, this guy sure can hold a grudge..."_ Naruto thought.

But before Kiba could "reclaim" Satsuki's "honour", Iruka appeared behind him.

"Inuzuka Kiba! What did I tell you about fighting in class? Do I need to call your mother again?"

Freezing up at the mention of his mother, Kiba reluctantly went back to his seat but not before sending a death glare at Naruto.

"Whew, saved by Iruka-sensei rock sensei!" Naruto said, praising Iruka under his breath.

**Five minutes later...**

With everyone settled down, Iruka began the lesson.

"Alright class, today we're going to be doing Taijutsu. All of you will fight in the ring at the yard in a one versus one match-up. There can be no usage of weapons or jutsu, family jutsu or otherwise. There can also be no usage of any kekkei genkais you may possess as this is a practice solely to check the progress of your Taijutsu. Anything else is fair play. Are there any questions? No? Then proceed to the ring at the Academy yard.

All the students moved quickly towards the yard, eager to start the lesson. Except for a certain lazy Nara of course. Most of the practices passed without incident. Halfway through however, certain match is about to heat up.

"Next is Uzumaki Naruto and...haah...Inuzuka Kiba."

Grinning wildly, Kiba dashed into the ring, with Naruto walking into the ring. Naruto wasn't happy with this matchup. While he had improved his physical condition under Salamander's training, he still wasn't sure if he could beat Kiba in a fair fight. Which meant that he shouldn't fight fair. Walking slowly towards the ring, Naruto started to formulate a plan.

"What's the matter dobe? Why are you walking so slowly? Scared?" Kiba sneered at Naruto.

"Nope, I just don't want to waste so much energy on the likes of you!" Naruto shot back.

Growling angrily, Kiba clenched his fist as Naruto finally got into the ring. The two of them then made a hand seal which looked like a half tiger/ram seal. It was the Tairitsu no In or the Seal of Confrontation. Sensing that both sides were ready, Iruka then shouted : "HAJIME!"

The two Academy students got into a battle ready stance as they stared down at each other. Then, Kiba started chuckling.

"Man, I sure am lucky. I get both an easy opponent and the chance to be your weak face in dobe! And this time Iruka-sensei can't stop me. Get ready to eat dirt, dobe!" With that said, Kiba charged at Naruto. He threw a left punch at Naruto's abdomen, but Naruto dodged it easily by doing a dodge roll. It was one of the nifty skills he got from dodging numerous fireballs chucked at him. Compared to the speed of the fireballs Salamander threw at him, Kiba's attacks were nothing.

"_The perks of having a sensei who can conjure and chuck fireballs at you like nobody's business I guess. _Naruto thought to himself.

Sidestepping yet another punch, Naruto decided to start going on the offensive. He threw a punch at the side of Kiba's stomach area. Caught of guard by the sudden change of tactics, Kiba tried to dodge to no avail. The punch connected and Kiba staggered backwards in pain.

"What's wrong slowpoke? Can't hit me?" Naruto taunted. If everything goes according to plan then...

"Why you...!" Snarling, Kiba charged straight at Naruto...only to have dirt thrown into his face.

**Meanwhile...**

Satsuki was paying close attention at the match taking place between Naruto and Kiba. To be honest, she was rooting for Naruto for she found Kiba to be very annoying. She could tell that he was a kind and loyal person in the inside, but he was very immature. Her opinion of him went even lower when she saw how easily he fell for Naruto's taunts.

"_What is he trying to do?"_ She wondered. But when Naruto started to shift his leg to a kicking position, Satsuki instantly realised his plan. As the dirt came into contact with Kiba's eyes, he screamed in shock.

"GAH! My eyes! Why you little...!" Ignoring Kiba's words and taking the opportunity, Naruto dashed forward and landed a punch at Kiba's left cheek. He then sent a couple more punches at his right cheek and then his solar plexus, knocking the wind out of Kiba's lungs. Naruto tried to send another punch at Kiba but this time Kiba swiped at Naruto before he could. Shocked that Kiba could still hit him, Naruto back-paddled to gain some distance from him.

"How did you...?"

"You dobe! I may not be able to see you, but I can still smell you!"

Realising the flaw in his plan, Naruto quickly tried to come up with a new idea...If only he could have enough time for it though, for Kiba charged straight towards his direction. Dodging, a easily dodged kick from the Inuzuka, Naruto noticed something. And then he smirked devilishly.

**Meanwhile...**

Hyuuga Hinata worriedly looked on as her crush dodged another blow from Kiba. She had the atmost confidence in his ability to fight, but she still can't help but worry. Kiba was from a clan that was notorious for their capabilities in Taijutsu, while Naruto had no one but himself to teach himself Taijutsu.

"EEP!" She squeaked when she saw Naruto did something that she would never expect anyone would do in a fight. Blood rushed to her face as a mild blush appeared on her face. In the past, she would have instantly fainted, but she had changed quite a bit over the past few years.

Smelling Naruto's scent coming rapidly from in front of him, Kiba dashed with his fist raised.

"I've got you now you trash!" His fist connected firmly...to Naruto's tracksuit.

"How about no?" Naruto quipped doing a leg sweep from behind Kiba, causing him to lose his balance. Falling flat on his face, Kiba grunted in shock and pain. Naruto then pinned him against the ground and put Kiba's arms behind his back in a hammerlock.

"Shousha, Uzumaki Naruto!"

With that, Iruka ended the spar. The rest of the class was shocked. The clanless, no-name class dobe had just defeated an Inuzuka , who were known for their prowess in Taijutsu, in a Taijutsu fight.

Needless to say, most of the students were expecting Naruto to lose miserably. Letting go of Kiba, Naruto stood up calmly.

"Oi, Iruka-sensei, may I have a bottle of water?"

Surprised by his request, Iruka slowly nodded and handed him one of the spare water bottles on the bench near him. Walking to slowly rising Kiba, Naruto then opened the bottle of water. Instead of drinking it however, he held it close to Kiba.

"Kiba, I'm going to wash the dirt out of your eyes so I need you to open them up for me alright?"

Stunned by this sudden act of kindness, all Kiba could do was nod and did as he told. The water pouring into his eyes swiftly cleaned away the dirt which had temporarily blinded him. Now able to see clearly, he saw Naruto in front of him, grinning jubilantly.

"So, I guess that's my win huh?" Naruto said as he extended a hand to help Kiba up. Staring at the hand in shock, Kiba asked.: "Why are you helping me? I insulted you, I mocked you, I spat at your existence!"

"Since when did I need a reason to help someone, especially when they're my future comrade?" Naruto reasoned, smilling kindly. Once again stunned into silence, Kiba tentatively accepted Naruto's help getting up. Naruto then extended his index and middle finger towards Kiba. Recognising it as part of the Wakai no In or Seal of Reconcilation, Kiba locked his fingers with Naruto's, completing the seal.

* * *

The rest of the fights were boring in comparision to Naruto's and Kiba's spar. Kiba has been staying silent the entire time, seemingly in deep thought. Satsuki didn't really care. While it did seemed that Naruto has given Kiba a lot to think about, it didn't really affect Satsuki. Rather, she was more impressed with how Naruto managed to adapt when his initial plan failed. That plan preying on Kiba's lack of sight and dependance on his sense of smell was very clever. Her own spar was extremely boring. She sparred against some random girl whose name she couldn't be bothered to remember.

**Meanwhile...**

Hinata cheered in her mind when Naruto came out victorious against Kiba. She was also happy to see how kind Naruto was to Kiba even though he said such mean things to him. Perhaps now Kiba would change for the better. However, she couldn't help but think about the words that Naruto had said.

"_Since where did I need a reason to help someone, especially when they're going to be my future comrade?"_

Those words...They seemed so...familiar...Like she heard it before...Suddenly a vision flashed by her.

* * *

"_W-w-why d-d-did y-y-y-ou h-help m-me?" The girl shyly asked._

"_Huh? Do I need a reason to help someone? The boy replied, smiling radiantly at the last part._

"_Hinata-sama?! Hinata-sama?! Where are you?" A voice rang out._

"_K-Ko!" The girl said._

"_Ah, Hinata-sama! Are you ok? You're not hurt are you?" Ko said frantically, worried for the Hyuuga heiress' safety._

"_Y-y-yes, I-I-I'm f-fine. T-this b-boy h-h-helped m-me." She assured Ko, gesturing to the boy._

"_He-He's...!" Ko thought to himself. "Hinata-sama, get away from him!"_

"_W-w-what? W-w-hy?" Hinata asked, confused but Ko's sudden outburst._

"_He's dangerous!" Ko said, cautiously watching him._

"_B-b-but h-he's i-i-injured!" She protested._

"_I don't care! Hinata-sama, let us go home now." Ko said, dragging a reluctant Hinata away from the boy._

_Later on, Ko told her: "You must not associate yourself with that boy, Hinata-sama!" _

* * *

"_What was that?"_ Hinata thought to herself.

**Meanwhile...**

With classes over, Naruto headed to the training ground he and Salamander had been using for the past few days. The grass was slightly singed, evidence of dodged fireballs.

"CRACK!" Hearing a twig snap behind him, Naruto turned. To his suprise, Satsuki was standing there.

"Yo." She said nonchalantly.

"Oh, um, yo!" Naruto replied akwardly.

"So...errr, why are you here?" Naruto inquired.

"You still haven't answered my question from this morning." Satsuki replied with a straight face.

Remembering the conversation, a question popped into Naruto's head.

"Well,I HAVE been having some pretty bizarre dreams lately. Why?"

"I see..." Satsuki mused to herself.

"What were they about?"

"Huh? Why should I tell you?"

Taken aback by Naruto's reply, Satsuki paused. True, he was not obligated to answer her questions. She guessed that she was too used to having her every demand listened to.

"Another question. Why have you been talking to me so much recently? You never did so before so why now?" Naruto asked.

"Well...I guess you could say that...I'm curious." Satsuki said, looking away.

* * *

**And, CUT! Well there you have it! If you STILL haven't figured it out by now, the second girl is Hinata and yes she will be in the harem along with Satsuki. I won't give away my plans for the future just yet though. Anyway...How did you find this chapter? Like it? Hate it? And do you want me to add preview at the end of the chapter like last chapter? Let me know with a review. The next update shouldn't be very soon but that's not definite. So until next time folks!**

**P.S GUYS I STILL NEED A BETA/CO-WRITER!**


	5. Chapter 5: Round Two!

**Yo! Welcome back to another chapter of Infinite Possibilities. The fated conversation between Naruto and Satsuki is finally happening! You excited? Now, before we start, a few small admin issues.**

**1: I forgot to ask this but how was the fight scene last chapter? It was my first time writing out a real fight scene so I don't know how well or how badly I did. I would appreciate it if you all could comment on it and/or give me some pointers**

**2: Are you people unhappy with me focusing on Naruto's academy days and want me to do a time skip? Or do you like what I'm doing so far? Please let me know!**

**Finally: I forgot to add this in the last chapter but the song in the flashback is Kyoukai no Kanata by Chihara Minori.**

**And thanks to Without Sleep for helping me out. You rock!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other songs, concepts, names etc. that appear in this fanfiction. They all belong to their respective owners.**

**Normal Talking: **"I will never give up!"

**Jutsus/Techniques:** "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu! (Shadow Clone Jutsu!)"

**Thinking/Dreams/Flashbacks: **_"Who am I?"_

**Bijuus/Summons/Mythical Creatures: **_**"Who dares summon me?!"**_

**Chapter Five: Round Two!**

Naruto slashed at the training dummy, trying to memorize the techniques that Salamander taught him. In his hand was a bokken, a wooden katana. Apparently, the "business" Salamander left to settle was to get him a bokken for his training. Ever since then, Naruto has been training hard to learn as best as he can. However, his thoughts once again drifted back to a certain conversation.

* * *

_"Well...I guess you could say that...I'm curious." Satsuki said, looking away._

_"Eh? Curious? About what?" Naruto asked, confused._

_Starting to get embarrassed, Satsuki turned away and said. "N-n-never mind that! Anyway, could you just answer my question?"_

_"Huh? Well, I was having some bizarre dreams lately..."_

_"Really? About what?" Satsuki excitedly asked, eyes sparkling at the opportunity. Unfortunately, in her excitement, she got too close to Naruto and made a misstep, causing her to trip._

_"Wah!" Naruto shouted in surprise, as the two of them fell backwards into the ground. They landed in a scandalous position, with Satsuki resting her hands on Naruto's chest. They stayed like this for about a second before realizing their position. Blushing profusely, the two quickly separated and sat with their backs facing each other. A heavy, awkward silence hung in the air between them. Clearing her throat, Satsuki stood up._

_"S-s-sorry about that... I shall take my leave." She announced, still blushing. She then turned away and briskly walked away from Naruto._

* * *

_"Just what did she wanted to say I wonder?"_ Naruto thought to himself. It had already been a week since that happened. Ever since that, Satsuki had been avoiding him. A shame...He thought that they could have been friends. Meanwhile, Kiba's attitude had been changing too. He was still the same boisterous, loyal fan boy that he was. But sometimes, he seemed to be in deep thought about something. His attitude against Naruto had changed too. He no longer mocked or picked fights with Naruto. Instead, he seemed to have formed a begrudging respect for the blond Uzumaki. He still didn't exactly like him, but it was progress.

"Gah!" He shouted in surprise as a hard object hit the top of his head. Turning around, Naruto glared at the culprit.

"What was that for?" He spat.

_**"You were getting distracted, so I woke you up. Now focus!"**_ Salamander shot back with a serious face. However, she was grinning internally.

_"It has been soooo long since I did that to someone. Ah, good old times..." _She thought to herself. Though honestly, while she was having fun, she couldn't have Naruto losing focus now, could she?

Grumbling, Naruto turned back to the battered training dummy. Today was a Sunday, so there were no lessons. Normally Naruto would be very happy. But now that it meant an entire day training with his dark-skinned teacher, and he absolutely dreaded it. Make no mistake, he knew he was improving quite a bit, as shown with his fight with Kiba the other day. But his body ached in protest everyday he woke up and he was sometimes deprived of sleep if he couldn't complete a task by that night.

He continued slashing at the dummy, letting some of his pent-up frustration vent on the dummy.

_**"Alright, take a break!"**_ Salamander suddenly said. Happy to get some rest, Naruto sat down next to a tree and grabbed a bottle of water. He felt the cool refreshing water quench the thirst that he built up after 2 hours of training.

_**"All right, you've been doing quite well. Now, I'm going to teach you your first real technique!"**_

"Really! Oh yeah!" Naruto jubilantly shouted, perking up at the mention of learning an ACTUAL technique, instead of just practicing katas.

_**"I'm glad to see you so enthusiastic! Now, let's begin. But beware, this training will be much tougher than what you have been doing!"**_

"I wonder what kind of-Wait, what?!"

_**"No turning back! Let's move!"**_

"Wait, just a minute! Somebody save mmmmeeeeee!" Naruto screamed as he was dragged along by Salamander.

* * *

Satsuki leapt, swiftly throwing kunai at the targets hidden around her. She threw the kunai one by one, with two of the kunais deflecting another two, making them hit the targets...Well, most of them. Two of the six kunais fell short and missed the targets. Sighing, Satsuki landed on the ground and took a break.

"Still can't do it huh? Just how far away am I from you Itachi?" She asked herself in frustration.

Heading back to the Uchiha Compound, Satsuki thought back to her conversation with Naruto.

_"Agh, how embarrassing...I can't believe I fell on top of the dobe like that!" _She thought to herself, slightly blushing when she remembered their awkward position. Even with her legions of fans, she never got into such a situation before. She didn't know what to think to be honest...

* * *

_The two kids ran across the grassy meadow as the cool night air bit into their skin._

_"Lets hurry, ok?" The girl asked the boy whose hand was clutched tightly in hers._

_"Un!"" The boy nodded._

* * *

_"W-what was that?"_ Satsuki asked herself, snapping herself out of her daze. "Was that...another lost memory?"

**(Meanwhile...)**

Hyuuga Hinata hummed to herself as she made bentos for herself and her imouto (little sister), Hanabi. She enjoyed cooking for her family immensely even though they had the Branch family to cook for them. She didn't like the system of having a Branch family and a Main family. They were all Hyuugas in the end, the same flesh and blood! Why do they need to be separated in such a cruel system? She herself, was forced into an arrangement where she had to fight Hanabi ,when they both came of age, for the right to be heiress, so it was a big matter for her as Hanabi might have to be transferred over to the Branch family if she won. She didn't want to let her precious imouto get marked with the Caged Bird Seal! But she didn't want to be marked herself…Breaking out of her dark thoughts, Hinata carefully placed the hot, fried ebi into the bento boxes, completing the boxed lunch.

**(Meanwhile...)**

Umino Iruka sighed as he completed marking yet another piece of homework. It was honestly tiring to be a teacher, but he loved the job and he wouldn't trade it for anything in this world. He then thought of a certain surprising blond student he had. Naruto was really an enigma sometimes. No offense to Naruto, but he did not expect him to come out victorious against Kiba.

_"Since when could Naruto dodge like that?"_ He questioned himself. Taking a sip of his coffee, Iruka then went back to the seemingly never-ending pile of work to mark.

* * *

A single girl sat alone on the dank, dirty floor, humming a song to herself. She opened her eyes and looked at the cage which restricted her.

_**"****So...He is starting to awaken is he? Fufufu...This will be interesting!"**_ She giggled to herself.

**_"I look forward to seeing how you will grow, Naruto-kun."_**

* * *

Naruto laid down on his bed as he groaned in pain. He felt like his entire body was filled with nothing more than pain, pain and more pain.

"I swear, you are a huge sadist." He said to Salamander as he glared at her. Salamander sheepishly rubbed the back of her head.

_**"Well, I told you it would be tough! And besides, you're learning a new technique thanks to me!"**_

"_You didn't even let me refuse!"_

**_"Admit it, you wouldn't refuse even if I gave you the option to!"_**

"But you still should have asked!"

"_**No! Why should I waste my time when I already know the answer?!"**_

"It's called politeness!"

"_**You are in no position to lecture me boy!"**_

Their arguments went on until the two finally got tired of screaming at each other. Which took a long, long time...

**(Two days later)**

The class moved quickly as they chattered loudly. Today, the academy holding a competition to gauge the overall growth of all the students. Needless to say, majority of the students were very excited. Especially since there were prizes. Satsuki herself was a little hyped to gauge herself against the rest of the school. But the one she wanted to fight the most was a certain blond haired enigma...who was nowhere to be seen!

_"You better show up soon dobe..."_ She thought angrily to herself. She honestly wanted to test the blond Uzumaki's newly revealed strength, especially after the debacle with Kiba. Speaking of the Inuzuka, Kiba seemed to be very excited. He had a unfamiliar fire in his eyes which he had not shown before. And Satsuki could guess that the reason for that was the same as hers.

**(Meanwhile...)**

"Ah mou! I'm late, I'm late, I'm late, I'M LATE!" Naruto screamed as he ran down the street. He had lost track of time while he was having his morning training with Salamander. Because of that, he was still dressed in a simple black t-shirt and black track pants. His bokken was still in his hands as he ran like a mad-man towards the academy. His aching body protested against his rushing, but he did not want to miss the competition. He seriously wanted to see how much he has improved over the past month with Salamander. As the academy building started to get closer, Naruto saw that a fence was obstructing him between him and the venue. He saw most of the students gathered, but none of them has noticed him. Which was weird, considering the giant dust cloud that has gathered behind him. Noticing that the event was starting, Naruto did a last-ditch attempt to reach the venue.

**(Meanwhile...)**

Hinata was starting to get worried. Naruto was still absent and the competition was starting soon. She knew that Naruto would not want to miss such an event so she was worried that something may have happened to him. Suddenly, she noticed a dust cloud rapidly approached the academy. Wondering what was happening, she got a little closer to the fence between the giant mass of dust and the academy. She squinted her pale eyes and saw a male figure inside the dust cloud.

"Eep!" She squeaked when the figure jumped up over the fence.

"I'VE MADE IT!" A familiar voice shouted as he landed firmly on the ground, sending dust all over the place. As the dust cleared, a gentle smile wormed its way onto her face as she realized who was the figure she saw.

"Always showing off huh?" Satsuki muttered to herself as she smirked. The blond idiot was finally here. That only made her all the more excited to fight him. Anticipating the fight, Satsuki started to formulate plans against what she had observed from Naruto during his fight against Kiba.

"Hah...Hah..." Naruto panted heavily, trying to catch his breath after his stunt. Looking up, he noticed that he had gathered the attention of nearly every human in the vicinity. He got disapproving glares and stares from some of the teachers and students, as well as the parents who have came to cheer their children on. Ignoring them, Naruto spotted Iruka approaching him.

"You just had to do that didn't you Naruto?" Iruka sighed.

"Eheheh...Well, I got too caught up in my training for this competition and lost track of time. But now I'm here, ready for action!" Naruto said sheepishly.

"Try to pay more attention next time alright?" Iruka chided.

"Hai, Iruka-Sensei!" Naruto then left to join the crowd.

* * *

Nakamura Sasaki, the academy headmaster, stepped up behind the podium to start the event. He held this event annually, so he was more than used to addressing large amounts of people. He saw the antics of one Uzumaki Naruto and he honestly was laughing inside. He held no resentment against the young Uzumaki and enjoyed watching his antics as they brightened up the usual dull, mundane life of signing and sorting paperwork. As he addressed the students, he kept his eyes on the most interesting students. There was Hyuuga Neji, a Branch family member. However, he showed immense potential despite being not being born in the Main family. He could easily be called a prodigy. Next was the last Uchiha. Uchiha Satsuki was another example of a young prodigy. She showed all the usual traits of the Uchiha's talents, but he honestly felt that she was overhyped. While she did show a lot of potential as well, her esteemed status was not well earned. And finally, there was Uzumaki Naruto. The blond Uzumaki had showed surprising intellect and knowledge of tactics during his fight with Kiba. He had shown speed that he had not exhibited before and had easily dodged the Inuzuka's attacks.

"And with that, I am happy to start this year's annual competition!" Nakamura said, ending his speech on a high note.

The students were randomly grouped in gauntlet style one versus one matches. The opponents would be showed on a screen on the main academy building. The students fought hardly against each other. Finally, it was Naruto's turn. He watched intently as the screen flashed through random students. He didn't know if it was some trick or it was fate, but the screen stopped and revealed his first opponent. Inuzuka Kiba.

The two boys proceeded to the arena, and stared at each other.

"I've been looking forward to this Uzumaki...I want-no I need to know." Kiba said, breaking the silence.

"Know? Know what?" Naruto questioned, confused by Kiba's sudden words.

But before Kiba could answer, Iruka arrived at the referee's part of the arena.

"Now, I know the two of you probably know the rules, but I will explain them again for the sake of clarification. As this is a match to view your growth, anything except killing goes. Weapons and Jutsus are allowed and you can use any techniques at your disposal. Are you two clear?"

Nodding, the boys started to get into their ready stances, making the Seal of Confrontation as they did so. Akamaru stood beside Kiba, ready to fight.

"HAJIME!"

"Akamaru, could you please stay here?" Kiba suddenly asked. Surprised by his request, Akamaru tilted his head in confusion.

"Please. I need to do this..." Starting to understand Kiba's emotions, Akamaru backed off and sat patiently.

"Why did you ask Akamaru to stay there? You do know that anything goes right?" Naruto asked confused.

"I need to fight you one on one Naruto!" Kiba suddenly shouted. "I need to know if you winning last time was just a fluke!"

Eyes widening, Naruto slowly nodded and readied himself.

"Then, I'm not going to hold back!" Naruto replied. Smirking, Kiba readied himself as well. Dashing forward, Kiba swiped at Naruto's flank, trying to get a pre-emptive strike in. However, Naruto dodged before it could come close to hitting him.

_"He has gotten faster!"_ Naruto thought to himself.

_"How can I beat his speed?"_ Kiba thought, dodging a kick from the left. He then feinted left, before kicking at Naruto. Naruto blocked the kick with forearm and lashed out at Kiba with a punch at his solar plexus. Unable to dodge in time, Kiba staggered back from the blow, wheezing.

_"Just like last time!"_ Kiba spitefully thought. Gaining back control over his breathing, Kiba once again dashed at Naruto. This time however, he ran in a curved path until he was behind Naruto. He then lunged forward with his elongated nails stretched out. He swiped at Naruto intending to cut him. Realising the impending danger, Naruto swiftly brought his bokken up and blocked Kiba's hand.

_"Tch, I forgot about his bokken!"_

Kiba back-paddled and dodged a slash from Naruto's weapon. Now on the offensive, Naruto kept the pressure on Kiba by continuing to slash rapidly at Kiba. He feinted right and then jabbed at Kiba's gut. The dull wooden blade did not pierce the Inuzuka's flesh, but Kiba's gut hurt regardless from the jab. Not letting up, Naruto then followed up with a kick to Kiba's chest. Kiba staggered backwards from the blow, recovering in time to narrowly crouch under a fist to his face. Kiba leapt forward, landing a solid hit on Naruto. Pressing his advantage, Kiba then proceeded to swipe at Naruto's chest. The attack connected before Naruto could recover, making shallow scratches on his body. Kiba tried to cut Naruto again, but this time Naruto was ready. Naruto ducked down and landed a hard blow on Kiba's midsection with his bokken. He then did a leg sweep which made Kiba fall to the floor. Naruto quickly locked Kiba's arm behind once more in a hammerlock.

_"For me to be defeat by the same move twice...How weak."_ Kiba thought to himself reproachfully. Having lost, Kiba stopped resisting.

"Shousha, Uzumaki Naruto!" Letting go of Kiba, Naruto couldn't believe that he won with the exact same finish. He offered his hand to Kiba, to which Kiba hesitantly accepted. The two then made the Seal of Reconciliation as per tradition.

"Looks like it wasn't a fluke at all huh?" Kiba muttered to himself.

"Eh? What did you say?" Naruto asked curiously.

"It was nothing." Kiba replied with an amused smirk.

"Listen dobe, now that you beat me, you better get even more stronger from now on! I'm gonna train hard and one day, I'm gonna beat you, you hear me dobe?" Kiba suddenly declared as he walked away. He angled his head slightly backwards and gave Naruto an arrogant smirk.

"Cause when we have our rematch, I'm gonna beat you hands down!" Hearing him, Naruto just smiled.

* * *

Inuzuka Tsume watched as her son walked back towards the crowd. When she initially heard that her son had lost to Uzumaki Naruto, Tsume was honestly shocked. But now that she has seen Naruto in action, she could understand why Kiba lost.

_"Looks like your kid is going to have a bright future ahead of him huh Kushina?" _She thought to herself. She didn't mind seeing Kiba get beaten. No, it would be better if he did. It would let him learn from his mistakes and become a better man. She knew that something had already changed within her son, but she could only wait and she how he would improve himself. As a mother, all she can do is to guide him along and be there for him...

**(Meanwhile...)**

The next few battles went past quickly. Naruto fought against some other students but they did not put up as much of a fight as Kiba did. The competition slowly whittled down in his gauntlet and soon he saw the only opponent left.

Satsuki smiled when she saw that only one other contestant was left. Finally, she could see just how strong he could be. And maybe, just maybe, fighting him may trigger some memories. With that hope in mind, Satsuki proceeded to the arena.

It was time to fight Uzumaki Naruto.

* * *

**Don't really have much to say this chapter. Please review to tell me whether you liked this chapter or hated it.( Saying why of course)And how was the fight scene? I look forward to your responses. And by the way, I would appreciate it if you guys and gals could help advertise my fanfiction. You don't have to do it, but it would really help me. See you people next time!**


	6. Chapter 6:Uzumaki vs Uchiha

**A/N: ~We are Singapore, We are Singapore. We will stand together, hear the lion roar~**

**Hello and welcome back. It is my country's 49****th**** birthday! While I may not have experienced much of the hardships that Singapore has went through, I still feel proud to be born in this lovely country.**

**Enough about that though. As a small spoiler, I will be saying this: After this competition, it is very likely that there will be a time-skip. I am worried that you guys may be bored with me focusing on Naruto's Academy days. Thus, I will start getting into the main story of the Naruto universe. I will be mainly sticking to canon with changes here and there, big and small. Of course, if you strongly oppose this decision, then leave a review detailing why I should not do a time-skip (yet). I will be having some interactions between Naruto and other characters before the time-skip though. Whether or not these interactions will majorly impact Naruto will be shown later.**

**My viewer count has been gradually decreasing though. Guess I'm not really doing a good job huh? Oh well…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other concepts/song/whatever that may appear in this fanfiction. They all belong to their respective owners.**

**Normal talking: "I will never give up!"**

**Jutsus: "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu! (Shadow Clone Jutsu!)"**

**Thinking/Dreams/Flashbacks: "Who am I?"**

**Bijuu/Summons: "Who dares to summon me?!"**

**Chapter 6: Uzumaki vs Uchiha**

Naruto calmly stared across the arena at his opponent. Uchiha Satsuki, who was strangely enthusiastic, stared back at him. Naruto went through what he had observed from the Uchiha heiress during classes as well as her battle with her previous opponent, who was apparently Aburame Shino.

The Uchiha's unique Taijutsu style, **the Setsuju-Ryuu (Intercepting Fist) **was famous for not being a very offensive style. Rather, it was mainly based on predicting the opponent moves and countering them. Truly, it was a style befitting the Uchiha, who had the Sharingan to compliment this style. However, to his knowledge, Satsuki has not awakened her Sharingan yet. Therefore, her **Intercepting Fist's **usefulness would be severely decreased.

With that in mind, Naruto thought over his game plan as he ignored Iruka, who was droning on about the rules again. Naruto was honestly starting to get pumped. He wanted to test his strength against the Uchiha, especially since he was the village pariah. If the village pariah could beat the village paragon, then maybe he could get the recognition and attention that he desired. With that goal set in mind, Naruto then noticed that Iruka has finished talking about the rules. Making the Seal of Confrontation, Naruto then readied his bokken. Hopefully, he would be able to pull **that** technique off…

Satsuki got into the starting stance of the **Setsuju-Ryuu**. She had greatly anticipated this battle. Smirking, Satsuki went over what knowledge she had gleamed from his fights with the other students. She knew that he had an unpredictable fighting style. He seemed to be able to think quickly and improvise no matter the situation. In a sense, she found that admirable.

"_That quick thinking might cause some problems though…"_ She thought to herself. And there was that wooden sword of his too. She did not expect to see that the unruly blonde would try and learn something as graceful as Kenjutsu. To say that she was shocked when he came with a bokken would be a severe understatement. While he has not shown any skill with it so far, it would not be too farfetched to say that he was at least capable of using it in combat. After all, he brought it to a competition didn't he?

"HAJIME!" Iruka shouted, signalling the start of the battle.

Naruto dashed forward first, bokken in hand. He slashed horizontally from the left, aiming for Satsuki's abdomen. She ducked down under the slash, the wooden katana barely grazing her hair. She then countered with a leg sweep. Naruto did a backflip, dodging the leg sweep and putting some distance between them. Naruto then lunged forward with his bokken outstretched in front of him. Satsuki angled her body to the left, dodging the lunge. She kicked upwards at Naruto's arms, aiming to disarm him. Naruto got hit, but he managed to keep a firm grasp on his weapon. Recovering from the blow, Naruto lashed out with a quick jab at her face. Satsuki again ducked down under the punch, but this time Naruto was prepared. Naruto quickly followed up with a kick. Caught off guard, Satsuki fell backwards from the blow. Not relenting, Naruto slashed down at Satsuki. However, she recovered swiftly and threw a kunai at him. Surprised, Naruto jumped to the right. The kunai lightly grazed the side of his arm, causing a shallow cut. No blood came out, but it stung slightly. Naruto threw a couple of shuriken at the Uchiha girl, but she dodged them.

"_He's pretty good…But I won't lose to someone like him!"_ Satsuki thought to herself as she redirected a punch from the Uzumaki, causing it to only hit the air to her left. She then jabbed at his solar plexus in hopes of incapacitating him for a while. Naruto blocked it with his bokken, causing her to feel mild pain going through her fist.

"_I can't seem to hit him!"_ Satsuki thought, growling in frustration. The **Setsuju-Ryuu **was a style meant for reacting and countering the opponent's moves. However, Naruto was able to keep up with her speed and react as quickly as she did. Maybe even faster, for he seemed to be slowly getting swifter in reacting to her attacks.

She dodged a kick to her abdomen as she tried to think of a plan.

**(Meanwhile…)**

Hinata watched on at the fight between her crush and the Uchiha heiress. While she trusted that Naruto could handle himself in battle, like he showed in his bout with Kiba, Satsuki was on a whole other level compared to the Inuzuka boy. If she was as good as what the civilians thought her to be, then Naruto might be in trouble… Speaking of the civilians, they were currently cheering loudly for the Uchiha heiress while jeering at Naruto. She was starting to get slightly irritated at their behaviour. She could only wonder why Naruto drew in such hate from the villagers.

Meanwhile the ninjas whose children were participating in this event were watching the battle with mixed reactions. Some seemed surprised that Naruto was able to not only keep up with Satsuki, but effectively counter her moves. Others were jeering at the village pariah as he, in their eyes, feebly struggled against the Uchiha heiress. Another portion of people were keenly observing the two Academy students, calmly analysing their every move. And then there were the clan heads, whose reactions varied a lot as well.

Nara Shikamaru watched his father, Nara Shikaku, with bored eyes as he alternated between watching the fight and observing his father. He honestly would have preferred to sleep through the fight, but considering the fact that his mother was behind him with a pan ready for immediate smacking, that option was closed off to him for the time being.

"_Troublesome woman…"_

Eyes drifting back to the fight, Shikamaru watched as Naruto slashed downwards at Satsuki, forcing her to block with her forearm. His thoughts drifted to the loud blond. While he felt that Naruto was an extremely troublesome person, he knew that Naruto was a decent person. He used to play pranks, some of which he was a victim in, but Shikamaru could clearly see the kindness that shone in his personality. His scene with Kiba a few days ago only provided further evidence to that. He was mildly shocked at Naruto's surprising aptitude in combat though. The blond had shown decent understanding of tactics, which was unexpected of the loud, boisterous boy. His father seemed to think so too, seeing as Shikaku was attentively watching the fight. That or he was sleeping with his eyes open again. He really needed to ask him how to do that!

However, Shikaku was very much awake at the moment. He observed the blond Uzumaki as he dodged another kunai, courtesy of Satsuki. The boy seemed to have inherited his parents' natural prowess in battle. He was obviously able to think on his feet, which was an invaluable trait for a shinobi. He turned his head slightly to the left and looked at his long-time friends, Yamanaka Inoichi and Akimichi Chouza. Inoichi was standing next to his daughter Ino and her friend Sakura. He seemed to be intrigued by Naruto's performance against Satsuki. His face was one of curiosity as he observed the battle, no doubt considering whether or not Naruto would be a good friend for his precious daughter. Meanwhile Chouza seemed to be enjoying the show, judging from his jovial grin. He chatted loudly with his son Chouji, who was Shikamaru's best friend. Chouza was probably cheering the Uzumaki boy on. They were all close friends with his parents after all.

Shikaku then turned his head right and observed Inuzuka Tsume and Aburame Shibi, who were standing next to their respective children. Tsume had an impressed look on her face, grinning wildly at the battle before her. Shibi on the other hand was…well Shikaku couldn't exactly see Shibi's expression, but he seems to be interested. Just what was he thinking in that mind of his was anybody's guess though.

Turning back his attention to the fight, Shikaku's eyes widened slightly when he saw Satsuki's hands forming hand seals.

"_I'm starting to get exhausted…How can the dobe last so long?" _Satsuki thought as her sweat dripped down her face. While she had not been using a lot of chakra, the physical exertion alone was starting to wear down on her. She growled in frustration as she looked at the blond Uzumaki. Although he had been fighting as long as she had, he barely looked tired. He was merely breathing slightly heavily and sweating a bit. It was infuriating to see that the dobe seemed to be doing better than her.

"Not bad dobe…I guess I'll have to use my trump card then!" She said arrogantly. She had more than enough chakra to use **that** and she would be toning it down so that it wouldn't kill Naruto anyway, so it should be ok.

"_Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, Tiger!"_ She recited, forming the hand seals swiftly. Well, swift for an Academy student anyways…

"_**Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu (Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique)!"**_ She shouted, inhaling sharply and then expelling the chakra-turned-fire from her mouth. The flames flew out as a large fireball, around the size of her body. The orb of roaring flames surged towards Naruto, whose shock at the use of the C-Ranked Jutsu had kept him grounded. The fireball impacted the ground, sending dirt and smoke flying at all directions.

Satsuki smirked when she saw the jutsu connect. Naruto shouldn't be able to fight after that hit. Meanwhile, the crowd at the side-lines roared in approval at Satsuki's victory. The civilians were mainly cheering at the possibility that the "demon brat" may have been burned alive from the fireball. Satsuki's fans just cheered for the sake of their idol.

"It was a satisfying fight, but it seems I won dobe!" Satsuki triumphantly declared, sure of her victory.

However, when she felt a kick to her back, she knew that it wasn't over yet. She recovered in time to avoid crashing into the ground, instead rolling into a crouch. She looked to the side where the _**Gōkakyū no Jutsu**_ had impacted…and saw a charred log.

"_Tch, the __**Kawarimi no Jutsu (Substitution Jutsu)!"**_ She thought, unbelieving that she had forgotten about that jutsu. She stood up and glared at Naruto. He wasn't even a little bit charred! Angrily, Satsuki threw two kunais at him, both of which were deflected away by his bokken.

"Well since you were so "_**kind**_" to use that jutsu at me, let me return the favour with a technique I've been working on!" Naruto declared as he pulled back his hand that was holding his bokken.

"Technique?" Satsuki muttered curiously under her breath. "Just what does the dobe have up his sleeves?"

Suddenly, Naruto appeared next to her with his bokken readied.

"_F-fast!"_ Satsuki thought in surprise.

"_**Raitei Suiryoku (Thunder Thrust)!"**_ Naruto shouted as he struck at Satsuki's solar plexus. Unable to dodge, Satsuki felt the air in her lungs exit her body as she folded like a lawn chair. She fell backwards as she gasped for air.

"J-just, h-how did you-?" She gasped out, shocked at how fast he managed to hit her.

"I told you, I've been training." _"A lot…"_ He secretly added to himself.

**(A few minutes earlier…)**

Salamander was watching the fight from afar. It seems that Naruto's training under her had paid off.

"-let me return the favour with a technique I've been working on!"

"_**So…he's going to use THAT technique huh?"**_ Salamander thought. He had learnt it on only the first day, which had shocked her to say the least. The rest of the days were used to refine it.

**(A few days ago…)**

"Yatta! I got it!" Naruto jubilantly shouted as he successfully completed the technique.

"_**Impressive…"**_ Salamander said, slightly surprised. She honestly had expected him to take at least a few more days to learn it.

"What is this techniques called anyway?" Naruto asked curiously.

"_**This technique is known as the**__**Chidarake Kiretsu Raitei Suiryoku (Bloody Fissure Thunder Thrust). **_

"Wha-Why is the name so gruesome?!" Naruto shouted out in shock.

"_**I didn't name it alright? Anyways, contrary to its name, it does not have a lightning attribute. Rather, its name comes from the speed in which is needed to fully utilize this technique. It is a high-speed attack that involves lunging at the enemy. As for its name, it came from a legend."**_

"A legend?"

"_**Yup. It's said that the cursed swordswoman, Chi no Akari, mastered this technique, and covered the battlefield with her bloody thrusts. Using this Blood Fissure Thunder Thrust technique, she killed her enemies one after another, making a lake of blood."**_

"Uwah…Such a bloody legend…And that Bloody Fissure part is just so shady sounding and bloody, so I think I'll just shorten it to Thunder Thrust…" Naruto said, slightly disturbed by the gruesome history of his new technique.

"SHOUSHA, UZUMAKI NARUTO!" Iruka shouted, declaring Naruto's victory. It seems that his surrogate little brother has done some growing up.

"_I'm proud of you Naruto."_ He thought with a smile. However, his declaration seems to have drawn the ire and disproval of many civilians, judging from the cries of outrage from them as well as from the Uchiha idol's fans. Their protests ranged from claims that Naruto cheated and outrageous demands to "kill the demon brat". Intervention from the multiple clan heads and jounin had swiftly silenced the possible uprising though.

Naruto extended a hand to Satsuki as he grinned.

"Looks like this is MY win huh, Satsuki-chan?"

"Don't call me "-chan"!" She spat out, blushing slightly. Yes, her fans called her "-chan" on a daily basis, but they were just empty words.

"Why can't I? It kinda sounds nice with you." Naruto replied, still smiling.

"W-wha-I-I…S-shut u-up! B-Baka!" She spluttered out, her face getting slightly redder. She could tell that he was actually being honest. Years of getting meaningless praise tends to make one able to pick real compliments out. Blushing even more, Satsuki hesitantly accepted Naruto's hand in getting up.

**(An hour later…)**

After the mini winning ceremonies were over, Naruto went to the headmaster's office to claim his prize. When he got there, he saw Satsuki waiting together with a boy with dark, bushy, brown hair which was covered by a hood. From the little portions of his skin that he could see, he could observe that the boy had fair skin which was mostly obscured by a light grey jacket. His eyes were also covered by a pair of shades.

"Yo, Satsuki-chan! And you must be Aburame Shino-san right?" Naruto said. The now identified Shino silently nodded, while Satsuki blushed at him calling her "-chan" and turned away.

"Ah…The three of you are here! Please, do come in." The headmaster said, opening the door. The three students entered. The office was sparsely decorated, with cabinets at each side of the room. His table was placed firmly and the middle of the back of the room.

**(A while afterwards…)**

The prize receiving was pretty uneventful. The headmaster just said a few compliments to each of them, gave them their prizes and sent them on their ways. He didn't know what Shino and Satsuki got, as the prizes were sealed into scrolls. He opened his as soon as he got out. He was severely disappointed. The prize only consisted of 1000 ryo (for reference: 1 ryo=10 yen. 10 yen is about 1 U.S.D) and a set of training weights. The weights might help in his training and the money would help pay for his supplies, but he had expected something more…rewarding.

Sighing, Naruto suddenly felt a pat on his shoulder. Turning around, he saw his classmate Akimichi Chouji. He and Chouji weren't very close, just normal, friendly classmates.

"Hey, good job Naruto! My dad wants to invite you a celebratory dinner!" Chouji said, grinning.

"Eh? R-really?" Naruto asked, surprised at the sudden invitation. He had never gotten something like this before, so he was unused to invitations.

"Yup! C'mon, or the food will get cold!" Chouji said as he dragged the still surprised Naruto off to his family's restaurant.

**(Later...)**

Naruto was now seated at a table inside the Akimichi owned restaurant, Yakiniku-Q. He had heard about the high reputation the place had, but he never tried going in. Seated beside him were Nara Shikamaru and Yamanaka Ino. Chouji sat across him and they were accompanied by their parents Shikaku, Inoichi and Chouza. They were talking over their food when suddenly, Shikaku started to ask Naruto some questions.

"So Naruto...Who taught you how to use something like that?"

"Eh? W-what do you mean?" Naruto asked, getting slightly nervous at the sudden question.

"No offense, but you couldn't have possibly create a technique like that. So who taught you?" Shikaku asked again, eyes narrowing slightly. The rest of the people at the table now had their attention turned to Naruto. All of them wanted to hear his answer too.

"Uh...I...uh..." Naruto stuttered, getting even more nervous now that everyone's attention was on him. He didn't know whether or not to tell the truth. What could he say? Oh I found a naked girl with fire for hair knocked out in some forest and I nursed her back to health! Now she teaches me by throwing fireballs at me! Oh, and did I mention she's apparently thousands of years old?

_"Yeah...that'll work well." _He thought sarcastically. Deciding to tell a half-truth, Naruto thought out his answer.

"My sensei, well she's not really a sensei just a friend, taught me how to use the Raitei Suiryoku. I found her collapsed in a forest and I helped her. In exchange she now teaches me." He replied. Shikaku's eyes narrowed even more, before he backed off and changed the topic of the conversation.

* * *

Sighing, Naruto plopped down on his bed. After his close shave with Shikaku, he didn't know what to think. For all he knew, Shikaku was reporting to the Hokage right now...Naruto didn't know just how right he was.

**(Meanwhile...)**

"Do you think he was lying Shikaku?" Sarutobi asked tiredly.

"He was definitely hiding something Hokage-sama...There was some semblance of truth in his story, but I don't exactly know what he was hiding." Shikaku replied as he crossed his arms.

"Do you think it could be the Kyuubi?" Inoichi asked worriedly.

"I don't think it is. He doesn't seem to be under its influence. The kid seems like a good boy, and I want to trust him." Chouza replied.

"Me too, Chouza. But we must consider the possibility that the Kyuubi is at least in contact with Naruto." Sarutobi said. "For now, have people observe him. If he shows signs of being under the Kyuubi's influence, then we need to reinforce the seal."

Nodding, the three clan heads ended their report and exited the office. Sarutobi took out his pipe and lit it up with a quick fire jutsu. He exhaled, the thick smoke billowing out of his mouth.

_"It looks like I might need to get him over here soon."_ He thought. He was starting to get concerned about that seal breaking. If it does...may Kami save them all...

* * *

Satsuki sighed, disappointed at herself for losing to Naruto. She couldn't believe that she lost to the dobe like that. It might not be appropriate to call him dobe anymore though...Remembering her prize, she took out her prize scroll and opened it. She channeled some chakra into it and in a puff of white smoke her prize came out. What she saw shocked her to her core...

**(Meanwhile...)**

Nakamura Sasaki, the academy headmaster, was sorting through the academy's documents when his hand brushed up against a scroll. Curious, he picked it up and was shocked to see that it was the scroll that was meant as Uchiha Satsuki's prize. Meaning that he had given her the wrong scroll. Suddenly, he was face flat on his table and losing consciousness.

"Don't worry, you won't die. You'll just take a little nap. Tomorrow, you'll remember nothing about this night and then everyone's happy! Nighty-night!" That was the last thing he heard before his world faded to black.

* * *

Satsuki was pacing up and down her room, her mind and heart racing, thinking about what could this all mean. She looked at the object clutched in her hands. It was no simple prize...It was a lucky charm. It was star-shaped and was made out of green stained glass with a silver frame, and had brown stitches and a brown cord tied to the topmost part...Exactly like the one from her dreams...

* * *

**A/N: So how was that? Did you like the little suspense I put in? Did I meet expectations with this fight? Or this chapter as a whole? Let me know what y'all think with a review! See you all next time.**


	7. Chapter 7:Clearer

**A/N: Helloo~ Here's another chapter! But first, I going to reply to some reviews. **

**andrejasontiemie: Thanks for the advice. I will take your words into account.**

**Bright Idea 0127: 'Bout damn time someone recognised Salamander...**

**ddreamer9159: I'm glad that my story is good enough to interest you.**

**Jhawk046: I guess that would be a good idea huh? I am trying to aim for 1 update per week though. But don't quote me on that.**

**Guest who is unhappy with Satsuki's tsundere: Well, if you don't like how I am portraying Satsuki, then you are more then welcome to leave. And besides, dark hair tied in twin tails? Being the school idol? That's the perfect Tohsaka-type tsundere set-up! How could I resist? I even foreshadowed it in Chapter 1 y'know!**

**Renegadestarforce: Yes, yes it did. MUHAHAHAH!**

**Now, I apologize for the wait. However, the next chapter might be a bit far off as I have exams coming up soon.**

**Finally, I would like to solemnly say this: R.I.P Robin Williams/ Genie from Aladdin. You will be dearly missed.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other concepts/song/whatever that may appear in this fanfiction. They all belong to their respective owners.**

**Normal talking:** "I will never give up!"

**Jutsus: **"Kage Bunshin no Justu! (Shadow Clone Justu!)"

**Thinking/Dreams/Flashbacks: **_"Who am I?"_

**Bijuu/Summons: **_**"Who dares to summon me?!"**_

* * *

**Chapter 7: Clearer**

**(Naruto's POV)**

"_Oi! Over here!" A voice rang out in the distance. Who was that? I opened my eyes and saw myself in a grassy field. Two figures were waving at me in the distance. As my body moved closer and closer to them, I started to recognise them._

"_T-the girls from my dreams!" I thought to myself in shock. Indeed, they were the same two girls who haunted my dreams. However, their features seemed to be more...clearer this time. I could see defining features on the both of them which weren't present in my previous dreams. One girl seemed to have straight, black hair which was tied in twin tails. The other had short, dark blue hair in a s__hort, levelled hime-cut style just above her forehead, with chin-length strands framing her face. _

_Uwah...They seem so familiar. But I just can't seem to remember their names! _

"_Mou...Hurry up!" The black haired girl shouted impatiently. _

"_Alright, alright..." I shouted back, but not of my own accord. The words just flowed out of my mouth. I couldn't speak, nor could I move my body. My body moved automatically towards the two girls._

"_Why are you so slow, baka?" The black haired girl grumbled, crossing her arms. The blue haired girl just giggled to herself. _

"_Well, let's go!" The black haired girl said, grabbing my hand._

* * *

Yawning, Naruto slowly got up and rubbed his eyes.

"And yet another one...Why do I keep having these dreams?" He asked himself, slightly frustrated.

"The dreams seem to be getting clearing though..." He mused. He could definitely remember some of their features, though the whole image was still blurry. Deciding not to dwell on it, Naruto started to get ready for his morning training.

**(Meanwhile...)**

Groaning, Satsuki rolled in her bed. She had spent the entire last night pacing up and down her room, pondering what could the object clapsed tightly in her hands could mean. She didn't know what to make of the situation. On one hand, this means that her dreams weren't mere dreams. But on the other hand, there HAD to be a reason why she didn't have any memory of those times. And then there was that burning village too...

Too tired to think over it anymore, Satsuki closed her eyes and started to fall alseep.

"_Thankfully it is Sunday today..." _She thought to herself just before sleep claimed her.

* * *

_Burning buildings. The smell of death. Screams of despair. Those were the things she woke up to. Groggily, she started to get up. Then, she saw-_

* * *

Jolting awake, Hinata breathed heavily. "W-what was with that dream?" She whispered to herself, without stuttering. No surprise, considering the fact that there was nothing for her to be nervous about. Calming herself down, she silently thought over what she had saw in her dream.

**(Meanwhile...)**

Gasping heavily for oxygen, Naruto leaned against a nearby tree. His entire body felt sore and tired.

He had been training for more than an hour straight, which may not sound like much to the average ninja, but when your teacher was a spirit that could chuck fireballs endlessly, it tends to exhaust one quickly. Not to mention the fact that he wasn't even a shinobi yet anyway...

_**"Seriously, can't you last longer than this? At this rate you're not going anywhere!" **_Salamander chided.

"Shut up! It's not like YOU'RE the one being blasted with fireballs!" Naruto retorted.

"...Actually, I think you would enjoy that wouldn't you?" He wryly added.

"_**Yeah, yeah."**_ She waved off his words off. **"I guess we can stop here for today then. Go get some rest."** She said as she turned away and walked off.

"Gah, one of these days..." Naruto grumbled childishly to himself.

**(A few minutes later)**

Now slightly rested, Naruto decided to go over to Ichiraku's for an early lunch. When he approached the ramen restaurant, he saw someone he would never expect to be anywhere around his favourite eatery.

**(A few minutes earlier)**

Uchiha Satsuki was tired. There was no doubt about that. However, whenever she fell asleep, she would be plagued by various dreams. Some were about her previous lose to a certain blond. Others were more assorted dreams. Or were they memories? She didn't know and it honestly grated on her nerves. She blushed slighly when she remembered a certain one.

* * *

_Satsuki snuggled sleepily deeper into the warmth that she felt beside her. It had been a long time since she had felt such warmth this close to her. Come to think of it, the last time was the day before her family was slaughtered._

"_Wait...But that would mean that there shouldn't be anyone else in the house." She thought to herself in alarm. Snapping her eyes open, she was shocked to see a blond boy sleeping next to her. _

"_KYA!" She screamed as she jumped out of the bed. Her sudden scream woke Naruto from his slumber._

"_You despicable, filthy, dumb pervert! What are you doing in my bed?!" She shouted. Or at least, she felt herself shout. The words just flowed out of her mouth and her body moved on its own accord._

"_What are you talking about? This isn't even your room!" She heard Naruto shout back. _

"_Liar! You are just lying!" _

"_I'm not! Just take a look around!"_

_She then hesitantly looked around and realized that he was right. This was not, in the slightiest sense, her room. The style of the room indicated that it was her house, but the room was practically empty except for a dresser and the bed she was lying on a few moments earlier. She felt her cheeks heat up as she remembered something. _

"_Oh yeah...This is the room I let you move into..." She said sheepishly, as her hand rubbed the back of her head._

* * *

The dream had ended there, but it left a lot for Satsuki think about.

"_I can't believe I dreamt something like that!"_ She thought to herself, blush intensifying slightly. _"There's no way I would let someone like Naruto into my house!...But I wonder what it would be like if he were living with me? I mean, it would be nice to have some else in the house so that it wouldn't be so lonely...And since he's wants to be a ninja too, I would be able to train with him..."_ Realising what she was thinking, Satsuki shook her head violently, trying to rid her mind of those thoughts.

"Gah, what am I thinking?! The lack of sleep must be getting to me...Yeah that's it! It's not like I want him to move in with me! It's just that my mind is too muddled due to lack of sleep!" She justified to no one on particular. Well, other than herself that is. Deciding to take a walk to clear her head, she got dressed and went out.

She aimlessly walked down the streets, trying futilely to remove any thoughts about Naruto moving in with her. She politely replied to the multiple greetings that the villagers gave her. She has long since learnt that it would be in her best interests to reply to such greetings. Once, when she didn't reply to a villager's greeting, he raised a ruckus about how he had "offended Uchiha-sama" and that he had "commited a grave sin". He then proceeded to try and commited seppuku in the middle of the road. She shivered when she remembered the incident. It had taken 10 _Chūnins and three Akimichis to subdue the man. Civilains could be absurdly strong and determined sometimes..._

_She then realized that she had stopped outside a restaurant. Looking up at the sign displayed proudly at the front, she read the name of the restaurant aloud._

"Ramen Ichiraku?" She mused. The name seemed to be familiar...But she knew that she has never tasted ramen before, let alone eat at this place. Slightly curious, she stared at the entrance, considering whether she should go in.

"Oi, Satsuki-chan!" A voice called out, drawing not only her attention, but the attention of the nearby villagers when they heard the Uchiha heiress's name being called out so informally.

"Don't call me that!" She reflexively shouted back. She turned and saw Naruto walking towards her.

"Why are you just standing like that?" He asked, head tilting to the side. She opened her mouth to answer, but before she could, Naruto tapped his fist on his right palm.

"Ah, I know! You're here to eat Teuchi-ossan's ramen right? C'mon, I let me recommend some to you!" He (somewhat correctly) concluded. He then grabbed Satsuki's hand and began to lead her into the small restaurant. Caught off guard, Satsuki could do nothing but be dragged into the restaurant. She felt her cheeks heat up slightly due to the sudden skin contact.

"Yo, Ossan!" Naruto boisterously greeted, hand still holding Satsuki's.

"Oh, Naruto! What will you be having today?" Teuchi greeted back. He then noticed someone next to his number one customer. His eyes then widened slightly, before softening.

"Oh? Looks like you've brought someone with you this time eh, Naruto? And the Uchiha heiress no less!" Teuchi said. _"I didn't expect him to ever bring her here ever again...But where's the other one?" _He thought.

He saw his daughter peep out from behind the kitchen and saw that she had the same reaction as him.

"Hey, Naruto! 'Bout time you visited!" Ayame said. "And you're Uchiha Satsuki-san right?"

Satsuki nodded, still slightly dazed. She then realized that her hand was still firmly clasped by Naruto's.

"L-let go of me already, dobe!" She said, mildly blushing out of embarrasment. Finally noticing what he was holding in his hands, Naruto swiftly let go of her hand.

"Oh! Sorry about that..." He apologized sheepishly.

"W-whatever! Just don't do it again,baka!" She replied, turning away from him. She then noticed Teuchi and Ayame giving her peculiar looks. Realizing what they were thinking, her blush intensified.

"W-what are you looking at!" She shouted at them, embarrasment increasing by the second.

"Nothing~" The father-daughter pair replied in a sing-song voice. Getting irritated, Satsuki stomped off to one of the seats and decided to occupy herself with the menu. Meanwhile, Naruto just stood confused at her behaviour. Shrugging, Naruto moved over to the seat next to her's.

"Let's see...I think I'll start with a Chicken Karaage, Teuchi-ossan."

"Right, one Chicken Karaage ramen coming right up! And what will the lady have?"

"H-huh?" Satsuki blurted out, startled by suddenly being addressed. "Oh, erm...I'll just have the same thing."

"Gotcha!" Teuchi said as he got to work. A few minutes later, two steaming hot bowls of ramen were set in front of the two Academy students. Naruto quickly went to town on the ramen, consuming the noodle dish eagerly. Meanwhile, Satsuki tentatively took a bite. Almost immediately, her world exploded in a burst of flavour. She could taste the various spices and condiments in the broth combining together, making a delicious taste.

Her face pulled back into a delighted smile. She then noticed Naruto grinning at her.

"What?" She asked.

"Oh, nothing. It's just that you seemed so happy eating this." Naruto replied, grin widening.

"H-huh? Well, it's not bad..." Deciding to cut off conversation there, Satsuki went back to the ramen.

**(Meanwhile...)**

A figure watched the two from afar.

"Ah...Young love...How nice." He mused to himself. He turned away from the couple and started to walk away.

"The wheels of fate have started to turn...I wonder how you will adapt, Uzumaki Naruto?"

* * *

After biding goodbye to the Uchiha, Naruto aimlessly walked around Konoha. Eventually, he encountered Chouji, Ino and Shikamaru relaxing at the park. He chatted with them for a while before a certain topic was raised in their conversation.

"Say, Naruto, my dad still seems to be hung up on the subject of your teacher you know." Shikamaru said to the blond boy.

"Eh, really? I wonder why...Eheheh." He nervously laughed. He remembered what Salamander told him after he told her about what happened with Shikaku.

* * *

_**"Oh? Is that so? Well, try not to tell them to much about me."** Salamander said._

"_Eh? Why?" Naruto inquired. _

**_"Isn't it obvious? Just look at me. I have fire for hair! Your villagers would instantly label me a demon. And we both know how they feel about demons. So, I'll tell you now, don't give too much information about me away. You may tell them that I'm training you, but don't give any defining features or my name."_**

"_But what if they ask for it?"_

"_**Ah. That's true..."**__ She mused. __**"Well, I'll come up with something. But what I said still stands! If you tell them about me, then...Well,let's just say that you would have the honour of seeing the largest fireball you'll ever see in your**__** life."**__ She threatened, slowly forming a fireball in her hand._

* * *

"_I definitely do not want that happening..." _Naruto thought, gulping when he remembered her threat.

"Oh,lookatthetime, Igottogetgoingseeya!" He said hurriedly, excusing himself from the conversation. He then briskly walked off towards his home. Meanwhile, Shikamaru narrowed his eyes in suspicion. Looks like his father was on to something about Naruto.

"Tch, troublesome blonds..." He muttered.

"Hey, I'm here you know!" Ino said indignantly.

"I know. That's the point." He retorted.

**(After a while...)**

Naruto slammed the door behind him as he panted heavily. Immediately after he was out of his three classmates' sights, he dashed towards his apartment.

"_**Ara? You seem to have had a long day."**_ Salamander observed.

* * *

**_"Ah, I see. You did well to hide my identity." _**Salamander said after listening to Naruto's explanation.

**_"Well, anyway, I've come up with a new plan for your training!"_** She proudly declared.

"Eh?" Naruto intelligently said. _"Somehow...I don't think this bodes well for me..."_

**_"That's right. With this new plan, I going to make sure that the techniques I'll be teaching you will be so etched into your mind, you would be able to use them in your sleep!"_**

"_I knew it...This is going to be dangerous for me..."_

**_"I'll also be making sure that you'll be a fine ninja!"_**

"Eh? But what do you know about being a ninja?"

_**"Hah...Weren't you listening? I told you, I've been living for thousands of years! I've encountered many ninja and have studied them!"**_

"Oh yeah...You did say something like that didn't you. That's pretty amazing I guess."

**_"Of course, I'll have the assistance of this book I found on the ground!" _**She added proudly displaying a book labeled "Ninja training for dummies".

"...All respect you just gained from me is lost." Naruto said, deadpanning. "And don't sound so proud about that!"

_**"Shut up! I know what I'm doing!"**_

"You obviously don't!" And thus, their banter continued well on to the night yet again...

* * *

**A/N: And cut! So, how was this chapter? I was aiming to post weekly, but I couldn't find the time with the need to study. Exams are still coming up so the chapter might be far off. Well, tell me what you think with a review!**


	8. Chapter 8: Mysterious Foes

**A/N: Yo people! I've pieced together whatever meager free time I had and managed to finish this chapter. And guess what? If all things go well, the timeskip shall take place next chapter! Aren't you all excited? No? Okay...**

**Anyway, I'm sorry if you all felt that this story is going absurdly slow in terms of progression. I just felt that character development and showing believable training progress is important in a story, so I focused on it. Maybe a bit too much... Anyway, like I said, next chap, we should hopefully be able to go into the main storyline. Keyword hopefully. Now, let's get started shall we?**

**Normal talking: "**I will never give up!"

**Jutsus: **"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Jutsu)!"

**Thoughts/Flashbacks/Dreams: **_"Who am I?"_

**Bijuu/Summons:** _**"Who dares summon**** me?!"**_

* * *

**Chapter 8: Mysterious Foes**

"Raitei Suiryoku (Thunder Thrust)!"

_**"Raitei**__** Suiryoku!"**_ The two voices shouted at the same time, as the resounding clunk of wood hitting wood was heard throughout the training ground.

"Gah! I lost again!" Naruto shouted in frustration, his bokken lying a few feet away from him.

_**"Of course you did! It's still a couple thousand years too early for you to ever come close to beating**** me!"**_ Salamander proudly boasted, puffing out her meagre chest. The two were having their usual training.

"But I still don't get how you displaced my attack with yours like that..." Naruto grumbled.

_**"It's all about skill and experience boy! I've seen many battles, while you've barely got out of diapers. If you keep training throughout your lifespan , you just might be able to reach a quarter of my level though."**_

"Only a quarter?" Naruto asked, dumbfounded. He was slightly irked at the diaper remark though...

_**"Like I said, I've had the benefit of thousands of years to hone my skills. You don't. It's as simple as that."**_

_**"Anyway, we'll stop here for today. Go get some R&R and play with some kids or whatever you people do nowadays."**_And with that, Salamander walked off to do...whatever she does.

* * *

Bored out of his mind, Naruto once again randomly wandered the streets, his hands placed in a relaxed pose behind his head. As he pondered on what to do we his spare time, he saw a glint from the corner of his eye.

"Hm?" Curious, Naruto turned his head to look in the direction of the glint. It lead into a dirty alleyway. Deciding to investigate, Naruto walked into the alleyway.

**(Meanwhile...)**

"Ah!" Hinata gasped as she painfully hit the wooden floor of her clan's dojo. She was sparring with her sister Hanabi and was defeated yet again due to a swift strike from her. Raising her head, she saw the elders watching the fight frown disapprovingly at her while nodding in approval of Hanabi. After they had cleared away, Hanabi immediately rushed to her side.

"Are you alright nee-chan? I didn't hit you too hard did I?" She asked, her lilac eyes shining with concern for her sister.

"No, I'm fine Hanabi. You did well today." Hinata assured her sister. She was used to losing to her more capable younger sister, so her body had gotten used to the punishment dealt from her sister's or other clan members' hits.

_"Too used to it..._" She thought wryly to herself.

**(A few minutes later...)**

After applying some healing cream on her minor bruises, Hinata set out into the streets with Hanabi. As she was walking, her thoughts drifted back to her dreams.

* * *

_Flames, deaths, screaming,painpainpainPainPainPAINPAINPAIN-_

* * *

"N-nee-chan? Are you really fine?"

"Eh?" Hinata intelligently asked, her sister's inquiry snapping her out of her thoughts. "O-oh, yes I-I'm fine." She replied when she managed to gather her thoughts. While she was still worried, Hanabi decided to drop the issue. She would keep an eye on her sister though.

_"That one again huh..."_ Hinata thought to herself, turning away from her sister's watchful gaze.

**(Meanwhile...)**

"Man...Just how did I get into this situation?" Naruto asked himself. "Gah!" He yelled as he dodged a kick from his assailant.

**(A few minutes earlier...)**

Approaching the alleyway, Naruto looked around for the glint he saw earlier. Seeing the glint out of the corner of his eye again, Naruto swiftly turned in its direction. To his surprise however, he felt someone grab his wallet, Gama-chan. Turning in surprise, he saw a bulky figure, whose body was covered in a long black cloak, with his wallet in hand. He then was shoved on to the floor and could only watch as the thief ran towards the training grounds.

"Wha-Hey get back here!" Naruto shouted as he recovered. He then ran in pursuit of the thief.

**(Meanwhile...)**

A figure dressed in a thick black cloak waited alone in a training ground. He inclined his head slightly to the left when he noticed a bulky figure rapidly approaching his location.

"I've brought it." The bulky thief.

"Good. Now we wait."

"...Forgive me for asking this but...Why do we require some kid's wallet?" The thief asked.

"Ah, it's not the wallet we want. It's the kid."

"What is so special about some kid? If it's to complete our mission, surely I-"

"Hush now. This boy is more valuable than he seems. Ah, and now he approaches."

Naruto reached the training ground, panting heavily. He had sprinted all the way here in pursuit of the thief and he had ran out of breath. He raised his head and glared at the thief and what was most likely his boss or accomplice.

"Give me back my wallet." He growled out, irritated at how lax the thinner man was.

"You can have it." The thinner figure said nonchalantly, tossing the frog-shaped wallet back to Naruto. Catching his wallet, Naruto immediately hugged it to his cheek.

"Oh my sweet Gama-chan! I'll never let you get stolen again, I swear!" Realizing that the two strangers were still there, Naruto swiftly pocketed his wallet and resumed glaring.

"So why did you want my wallet?"

"Oh, no, it's not your wallet we want..." The thinner man said.

"Then...? What do you want?" Naruto asked suspiciously, eyes narrowing.

"Recognise this?" The thin man asked, brandishing something in his hand.

_"Wha-But that's-!"_ Naruto thought to himself, completely taken aback. In the man's hand was a star-shaped charm. Exactly like the one in his dreams.

"How did you get that? Why do you have that? Why are you showing it to me?" Naruto asked, the swirling questions in his mind flowing out. He then shifted his body in a defensive stance. His hands drifted towards his bokken, ready to lash out at the two.

"Ooo, feisty! I like your spirit kid! But alas, I can't tell you our plans nor can I entertain you any longer. So for now, a little test for you...Budou!" The figure ended, gesturing at the bulky man next to him. Nodding, the now identified Budou stepped forward. The figure then turned and started to walk away, keeping the charm in his possession.

"Wait! What do you mean by all this? Come back here!" Naruto made to chase after the stranger, but Budou moved his bulky frame and blocked him.

"Get out of my way!"

"I don't why you are deemed important...But I have my orders and I shall carry them out. Prepare yourself!" Budou said as he lunged out with a punch.

Naruto rolled out of the way, swiftly drawing his bokken. While the wooden katana was not as sharp as a katana, it could still be an effective weapon. Naruto slashed at Budou's knees, hoping to limit his mobility. However, in a show of athleticism unexpected from a man of his size, Budou back-flipped, completely dodging the slash. He landed firmly on the ground, and then lashed out with a kick.

Naruto raised his forearm to block the attack. However, he had underestimated Budou's strength. The kick sent him back flying a few feet, making him land painfully on the ground.

_"What is up with that crazy strength? That was like being hit with a raging bull!" _Naruto thought to himself in shock. He felt a sharp pain coursing through his left forearm.

"I don't think my left hand would be useful in this fight anymore..." He mumbled to himself.

"Man...Just how did I get into this situation?" Naruto asked himself. "Gah!" He yelled as he dodged a kick from his assailant.

"If you keep talking to yourself, you're going to get beaten up!"

Dodging yet another strike from Budou, Naruto lashed back with a couple of slashes as he tried to think of a plan.

_"I can't let him hit me again...I don't think I'd be able to take another one of monstrous attacks..." _

Rolling to the side, he saw Budou's foot stomp down on where he was a few moments ago. The ground had cracked under the force of his stomp, sending soil and pebbles everywhere.

_"Yeah...Definitely can't let him hit me..."_

Deciding to try a quick hit, Naruto drew his arm back and lunged towards Budou.

"Raitei Suiryoku!" He shouted, bokken outstretched in front of him. The swift attack connected, piercing through the cloak that covered Budou's body. A small trickle of blood streamed down his bokken. Enraged, Budou released a roar of fury and kicked Naruto away. The blow sent him flying back once more as he screamed in pain. Naruto coughed out blood, pain wracking his body.

"It seems that you do have some potential. For one as young as you to draw my blood...I now see what that man sees in you." Budou said contemplatively. Naruto stabbed his bokken into the ground, using it as a support as he struggled to stand up.

_"Thunder Thrust didn't work as much as I hoped... But as least I know that I can injure him!"_ He thought. While his repertoire of techniques was still lacking, the Raitei Suiryoku wasn't his only technique. He hadn't been training hard for nothing after all. That said, he still only had two left other than the Raitei Suiryoku.

_"It's all or nothing I guess!"_ He thought determinedly, readying his bokken once more. He charged forward at Budou, aiming to strike him again.

"Raitei Suiryoku!" He yelled once more. However, his attack was dodged this time.

"W-what the-?" He asked in shock.

"I won't fall for the same trick twice boy!" Budou said as he lunged out with a punch. However, when Naruto smirked, he knew something was wrong.

"Take this!" Naruto yelled, jumping forward. When Budou saw the level in which his bokken was raised, he then knew what were Naruto's intentions.

_"S-shit, I can't stop in time!"_ He thought to himself.

"Akki Zanshu (Demon Decapitation)!" Naruto yelled out, his bokken slashing at Budou's neck. He remembered when Salamander taught him this move.

* * *

**(Some time earlier in the month...)**

_**"Not bad. Looks like you can pick things up pretty quickly, boy!"**__Salamander complimented. Naruto's rate of learning was honestly grossly exceeding her expectations. She was pretty impressed. Not that she would let him know that of course. Can't let him get a swelled head after all..._

_Panting heavily, Naruto collapsed on to the ground._

_"Nice -hah- to -hah- know..." He gasped out weakly. Eventually catching his breath, Naruto managed to prop his sore body against a nearby tree. _

**_"Anyways, let me tell you a bit about the Akki Zanshu! It is an attack that compliments people with small statures. So obviously it's perfect for you."_**

_"Oi!"_

**_"It's not a bad thing! A small body is good for when you charge in, and cut the enemy's neck. It's said that the demonic ronin Kamakiri was able to cut off the heads of 100 samurai using this move!"_**

_"Uwah...Another bloody backstory to a technique..."_

* * *

Naruto's bokken slashed firmly down Budou's neck. Expecting to see blood, Naruto braced himself for a gruesome sight. It wasn't there. Instead of a gash that should have appeared, there was only a small cut which trickled a bit of blood.

"B-but how?" Naruto asked, dumbfounded. _"Even though I'm not using a real blade, it should have done more damage than that!"_

"Seriously, you're starting to annoy me. To push me to the point where I had to reinforce my body like that...You're turning out to be an impressive and troublesome adversary." Budou said.

"R-reinforce?"

"Oh? You Konoha kids haven't been taught that yet? I used chakra to strengthen my body."

_"If he can do that then...Is there even anything I can do against him?" _Naruto thought in frustration. _"Okay, calm down Naruto. You've still have one more technique to try out."_

Determined to win, Naruto started his plan. He turn around and ran. Stupefied by this action, Budou watched as Naruto ran deeper into the trees.

"How dare you run away! Get back here!" He yelled, enraged. Growling, he started to give chase. He then realized that Naruto wasn't running away. He was trying to run **up**.

Naruto planted his feet firmly onto the surface of the tree. He then ran up the tree while channelling chakra to his feet.

_"At my current level of control, I've got about ten seconds before I won't be able to stick to the tree anymore...I have to make this count!"_

Pursuing the blond boy, Budou ran up the tree. He honestly was astonished that he already knew how to walk on trees. Looks like there really was merit to that man's interest... However, he was confident that this mere boy would not be able to defeat him. The very thought was laughable.

So confident was he, that he did not realized the boy was deliberately trying to make him follow along. So confident was he, that he did not realized what the boy's intentions were when he relinquished his grip on the tree. So when the boy jumped down, brandishing his wooden blade, it was already too late for Budou to save himself.

"HAAAAAH!" Naruto screamed as he used his trump card.

* * *

**(A few days earlier****...)**

_**"You're progressing as well as usual. To think that you already know how to perform this technique so soon. I must say, I'm kinda**** impressed!"**__ Salamander complimented._

_"Right..." Naruto tiredly said. He was too exhausted to say anything witty this time._

**_"Well then, allow me to tell you more about this move! This move was a favourite of a Tengu warrior known as Kazeshini, who was also known as Death on Wings. Smashing the skulls of three hundred enemies, their brains covering the field in a bloody mess."_**

_"Hah...Yet another morbid tale..."_

**_ "Shut up! Anyway, during battle, it's normally suicide to jump other than for dodging. When you jump, it's pretty obvious what your movements are going to be until you land. But this technique is different. By falling too fast for them to hit you, you crush the skull of your enemy before they are able to react. There's a issue though..."_**

_"An issue?"_

_**"Well, as you saw, you need to be at a great height to use this technique...And since you're a human and not a Tengu, you can't fly in the air. Therefore, if there's nothing to climb nearby, you can't use this technique.**_

_"I see...I guess I'll have to be careful then."_

* * *

_"Luckily for me, there's plenty of high places for me to use!" _Naruto thought to himself.

"EAT THIS! Gedou Zugai Uchikubi (Demon Skull Beheading)!" Naruto screamed, landing a firm blow on Budou's head.

Unable to channel his chakra in time, Budou could do nothing but close his eyes and face his impending doom.

"Not bad kid...I guess I've no choice but to admit defeat..." He muttered his last words. And with a sickening crunch, Budou's life ended.

Collapsing on to the ground Naruto felt the adrenaline in his veins fade away as he started to lose consciousness.

_"At least...I won..."_ He thought to himself. The last thing he saw was a man with a dog mask drop down in front of him...

**(A few minutes ago...)**

Kakashi was screwed. He knew he was. By some unfortunate incident, he had lost track of his charge, Uzumaki Naruto. As he silently hopped from roof to roof, he was praying internally for his sensei's son's safety. Suddenly, he heard the sound of crumbling earth coming from the direction of a training ground.

_"If I remembered correctly, that should be Training Ground Four... Which is supposed to start renovations tomorrow, so it shouldn't be in use. Guess I'll check it_ out." Kakashi thought to himself, as he changed his direction to that of the training ground. As he got closer, he heard a guttural shout of rage and the sound of a body crashing painfully against the ground. A scream of pain resounded out.

_"T-that voice! Naruto!"_ He thought worriedly, increasing his pace. He could only hope that he could make it in time...

When he reached the training ground he was shocked to see Naruto running up a tree, with a bulky cloaked figure in hot pursuit.

_"Impossible! How does he already know tree-walking?!"_ His worries only increased from there as he saw Naruto fall. He made to go and catch, but then he noticed something.

_"His posture...It isn't like one of a person who lost their grip...It's almost like-That's it! He wants to fall! But why?" _

Deciding to observe the blond, Kakashi then saw how Naruto's hands were raised together, holding a bokken in between them.

"EAT THIS! Gedou Zugai Uchikubi!" He heard Naruto scream. His eyes then widened when he saw Naruto's bokken crash down on the cloaked figure's head. He heard a sickening crunch and he knew then that the cloaked figure's life was forfeit. As both Naruto and the now dead cloaked figure's bodies collapsed on to the floor, Kakashi decided to file away what he just saw and instead focus on getting Naruto to safety. Dropping down in front of Naruto, Kakashi took out a scroll and sealed away the corpse lying not far from the boy. Pocketing the scroll, he then picked Naruto up and took off towards the hospital.

**(Meanwhile...)**

A figure watched as the blond boy took Budou's life. Another figure silently approached him.

"So...That's the one huh? I can understand why you're so now. To be able to take the life of one of our own...It is truly impressive." The figure asked, the voice distinctively female.

"Yes...But that is not even close to his true potential. While the lose of Budou is regrettable, he should have known better than to underestimate the boy."

"So we're just going to let him go then?"

"For now...There is still ample time my friend. Let the boy grow. After all, we should pick a fruit before it is ripe..."

"I understand." Noticing that the man had something clutched in his hand, the woman stared at it.

"Huh? Oh this?" The man asked, noticing her stare. He then proceeded to crush the star-shaped charm and let it's remains drop to the ground. Surprised, the woman just stared at the man.

"Hey, don't look at me like that! And besides, it's nothing more than a cheap imitation anyway..." He assured her.

* * *

Sarutobi looked over Naruto worriedly as he listened to Kakashi's report. The two were currently standing in a white hospital room, which was sparsely decorated.

"I see...This is indeed worrying." He said after Kakashi finished his report.

"I'm sorry. If I hadn't let him out of my sight, this would've never had happened..." Kakashi said regretfully.

"It's fine. What matters now is that Naruto is safe. As for the corpse, send it to the Intelligence Division's coroner to identify this...assailant. If he is from one of the other villages, we need to know."

"Hai, Hokage-sama." And with that, Kakashi performed a Shunshin and left the room. Sighing, Sarutobi turned his head back to Naruto.

_"Minato...Just what is your son getting himself into?"_

**(The next day...)**

Naruto opened his eyes to see a plain white ceiling. Recognizing it to be the hospital's, Naruto instantly knew where he was.

_**"Looks like you're awake**** huh?"**_ A familiar voice said.

"Eh? Salamander? What are you doing here?"

_**"What do you think? Did you know how worried I was when you didn't come**** home?!"**_ She cried out, tears forming at the corners of her eyes.

Surprised at the sudden show of emotion, Naruto could do nothing as Salamander continued to scold him.

_**"-and I leave you for a few hours and you almost get yourself**** killed!"**_ She finished, panting as she exhausted all the air in her lungs. Her legs then gave way, falling on her knees and her head laying on the bed.

"Sorry." What else could he say in this situation? All he could do now was to tenderly pat her head and say 'Sorry'...

**(A few minutes later...)**

_**"I see...So that's what**** happened..."**_ Salamander mused. After calming herself down, she listened as Naruto explained how he got into his current situation.

_**"But still, to already be able to use the techniques I taught him in a real battle...He really does learn quick doesn't**** he?"**_ She thought fondly to herself.

But before she could say more, the door opened. Recognizing who came in, Naruto's mouth broke out into a wide smile.

"Jiji!" He cheerfully greeted.

"Hello, Naruto. How are you doing?"

"I never felt better! I was just-" He trailed off when he noticed that Salamander was nowhere to be found.

"You were just...?" Sarutobi inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Nevermind..."

"Well then, can you tell me what happened?"

**(After a while...)**

After explaining his story to Sarutobi, the old monkey left to settle "Hokage business". Deciding to get some rest, Naruto closed his eyes and laid back on the bed.

_**"Hey I'm not done with you**** yet!"**_

"Gah!" He shouted, jumping up in surprise. He turned his head and saw Salamander sitting on a vacant bed.

"You startled me! And where did you go off to?"

_**"I never left. I simply concealed my**_** presence."** She smugly said.

"Eh? You can do that?"

_**"Of course I can! Anyway, with what you told me, I suppose we'll have to step-up your**** training yet again...Who knows when they'll come back?"**_

"E-eh?" Naruto intelligently asked. _"S-step it up?! MY CURRENT TRAINING'S HARD ENOUGH!"_ He screamed in his head. And then he remembered something.

"A-ah...I see."

_**"Hm? I thought you would be a bit more enthusiastic about**** this..."**_

"Huh? Oh, I'm really excited! It's just..." He denied, not wanting to disappoint Salamander.

_**"Just..?"**_

"I-I killed him..." He muttered. "I killed him with my own two hands..." He said, looking at his hands as if there was still blood covering them.

_**"Hah...So that's what this is about huh? Listen boy, at that time it was kill, or be killed. You didn't know what they might have done if you lost and got knocked**** out."**_

"B-but still! I killed him! And with a technique you taught me..." He said, looking down in shame.

_**"Baka."**_ Was her simple reply.

"E-eh?" Naruto asked, surprised by her reply.

_**"Why do you think I taught you those techniques for? Each one of those moves I taught you were lethal in their own rights! If I taught you those moves and thought that you wouldn't kill anyone, I would be a fool."**_

Stunned into silence, Naruto just continued to look down.

_**"Did you enjoy killing him?"**_

"W-what? Of course not!" Naruto shouted, slightly offended at the notion that he would take pleasure in taking a life.

_**"Then what's wrong? You're a shinobi-in-training are you not? Eventually you'll have to kill. And if you don't enjoy killing, that's fine, cause not a lot of ninjas enjoy killing either."**_

"T-that's true I guess..."

_**"What's more, I taught you those techniques so that you could defend yourself in such situations. Don't think of yourself and your blade as a means of killing, think of it as a means to protect yourself and those who are dear to you!"**_

"So...In other words, a blade that protects?"

_**"Exactly. Well, I'll let you think this over. You're still recovering, so get so rest. We'll discuss the details of your training when you get back. Rest well, bo-Naruto."**_She said, pausing at the last bit. She then left through the window, somehow not attracting the attention of the multiple ANBU stationed around the area.

_"Huh, she called me by my name..."_ He thought, before sighing.

"Hah...Looks like my future is going to be filled with pain huh?" He lamented, shuddering in fear of the torture he knew he was going to be subjected to soon. After that talk with Salamander, he wasn't as depressed anymore.

_"Oh yeah, I better check if they took anything away from my wallet..." _He thought, unzipping the large toad-shaped wallet's 'mouth'. When he opened the wallet, a red flash came from inside the wallet. Dropping the wallet in surprise, Naruto could only gape and rub his eyes in disbelief. The cause for his shock was firmly wedged between the ample notes and coins which made up the contents of the wallet. It was almost unnoticeable, and if Naruto had not seen the flash, he would have definitely missed it. It was a-no, it would be wrong to just say that it was an "a". It was **his** charm, the one he had been repeatedly reminded of inside his dreams/memories...

* * *

**A/N: And we're done! So how was this chapter? This chapter must be one of the longest I've written so far! Like I said, the next chapter will have the timeskip. It's going to be a bit far off though, cause advance paper is coming right up in two weeks... Anyway, leave a comment below please. Did I do good with this fight scene? What about that scene at the end between Salamander and Naruto? Like Naruto's two new techniques? Or do you hate them? Lemme know what you all think!**


	9. Chapter 9: Graduation and Betrayal

**A/N: Yo! The time-skip's finally here! I hope that this chapter will be able to meet everyone's expectations. This chapter's just on the Graduation Exams and Mizuki though. Teams and missions will be in the next one. I bet it's pretty obvious by now who's going to be in Naruto's team huh?**

**Anyway, the only reason I'm able to update now is because of a week of school break. Sadly, this is one of the last day's so...Yeah, let's just say that I won't be updating for a while.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other concepts/song/whatever that may appear in this fanfiction. They all belong to their respective owners. All I own is the fishcake I'm eating while I wrote this.**

Normal talking: "I will never give up!"

Jutsus: "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu! (Shadow Clone Jutsu!)"

Thinking/Dreams/Flashbacks: _"Who am I?"_

Bijuu/Summons:** _"Who dares to summon me?!"_**

* * *

**Chapter 9: Graduation and Betrayal**

"Alright, settle down everyone! Now, before we start, we shall take attendance." Umino Iruka announced, listing the names of the students on his checklist one by one.

"-Uzumaki Naruto!...Uzumaki Naruto?" He asked when he received no reply. Looking around, he saw that the blond haired boy was nowhere to be seen.

"Has anyone seen him?" He questioned the class. When he saw all the students shake their heads, he sighed. _"And to think I told him not to be late...This is his exam to become a genin for Kami's sake!"_

As Naruto was the last on the list, there was no one else to call. As he could not delay the exam, he sighed once more and began giving out instructions for the exams. But before he could start, the door slid open with a resounding thud and a body fell through. The boy had spiky blond hair and was wearing a orange jumpsuit. A pair of green goggles covered his forehead. Recognizing the boy, Iruka sighed for the third time and went over to check on the fallen boy.

"Seriously Naruto, couldn't you at least TRY to make it on time? This exam's going to determine your future you know! And you've already failed it twice!" Iruka chided.

"Eheheh...Sorry Iruka-sensei, I was training late into the night and I just sorta overslept..." Naruto replied sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

""Just sorta overslept?" Hah...Forget it, just go to your seat Naruto." Iruka said, pinching the bridge of his nose. Almost instantly Naruto was seated, which almost made Iruka think that Naruto performed a Shunshin. Deciding wisely not to add on to his emerging headache by questioning it, Iruka cleared his throat and started to give out instructions.

"Right then...Today you all shall be taking the Academy Graduation Examinations. While this may seem like a simple thing, this exam is the first step towards becoming true ninjas. Do not take this exam lightly! Now, Mizuki-sensei shall give the breakdown of the exam to you." He then stepped back to let Mizuki talk.

"Thank you, Iruka-sensei. The exam will be separated into two parts, a written one-" At hearing this, there many groans of disappointment rang out across the classroom. Eye twitching slightly, Mizuki cleared his throat in an attempt to reclaim the attentions of the students.

"AHEM! As I was saying, the exam will split into two parts, a written one and practical one. Your goal is to garner enough points from the two parts so that you can pass. The written exam is a typical one, so I won't into detail about that. The practical exam itself consists of four portions, an accuracy test, a taijutsu test, a genjutsu test, and finally a ninjutsu test. Further instructions will be given out during the portion itself. Any questions? No? Then Iruka-sensei and I will now give out the test papers."

**(A couple of hours later...)**

"THUNK,THUNK,THUNK,THUNK!" Was the sound Naruto heard as the shuriken he threw came in contact with the multiple targets set up around the field. Looking around, Naruto was disappointed as he saw that some had missed the targets completely, while others barely managed to wedge themselves on the wooden targets.

"Uzumaki Naruto, 6/10 for kunai accuracy, 4/10 for shuriken accuracy, giving him a total of 10/20 for this portion." Iruka announced.

"Damn, I barely passed this one huh?" Naruto cursed. He could only hope that he would be able to do better in the taijutsu, genjutsu and ninjutsu.

_"I can't count on my written exam scores after all...The questions were just too hard dammit!"_ He thought. Seriously, why does he need to know whether or not a kunai thrown vertically from 500 metres can reach 50 km/h before coming back to the ground?

**(A few minutes later...)**

"Uzumaki Naruto, make your way to the ring please." Iruka said. After Naruto was in, he nodded and glanced at his checklist.

"Naruto, like everyone else, Mizuki shall be examining your Taijutsu skills. The goal is to last for at least five minutes. Are both sides ready?" At both of their nods, Iruka raised his hands and yelled: "HAJIME!"

Naruto shot forth like a rocket, aiming to land a pre-emptive attack on Mizuki. However, Mizuki dodged Naruto's attack. Mizuki then turned and struck out with a heel kick. Naruto ducked under the kick, and took advantage of Mizuki's temporary unbalance to do a leg sweep. Unable to dodge, as he had one leg in the air, Mizuki fell down face first onto the ground. Jumping immediately at the chance, Naruto swiftly pinned Mizuki on the floor. Unable to struggle free, Mizuki eventually conceded defeat. The entire bout had taken last than two minutes...

"Alright, you get a 9/10. Now please release Mizuki-sensei, Naruto." After Naruto did so, Mizuki rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Man, I didn't expect you to be so fast Naruto. Good job!" He said. _"Tch, I got careless and underestimated the demon's speed...I'll get you later you demon scum!"_

**(Half an hour later...)**

Naruto stepped forward as gulped nervously. He wasn't very good at genjutsu so he was slightly nervous.

"Okay Naruto, Mizuki's going to cast a genjutsu on you at some point. Your task is to determine whether or not you are in a genjutsu and dispel it." Naruto nodded his understanding, bracing himself for the genjutsu. And so he waited as the two teachers left the room. And he waited. And waited. Starting to get bored, Naruto decided to get out check with the teachers if the test had started. He walked towards the door, a bored expression on his face.

"Hm? Was the door always this far away from my seat?" He asked himself. Deciding to hurry up, Naruto sprinted towards the door. But no matter how much he ran, the door wasn't getting any closer.

_"What the-Wait a minute..."_ He thought. He then closed his eyes and brought his hands together in a clap and channeled chakra. Immediately, he could feel the genjutsu fade away from him as the foreign chakra was expelled. Satisfied that he managed to break the genjutsu, Naruto proudly strutted toward the door. However, when he tried to grasp the handle of the door, he found that he couldn't. Confused, he started to panic and bang on the door. Suddenly the door disappeared and in it's place was the plain white surface of the classroom's wall.

"Looks like you weren't able to dispel the Magen: Kokoni Arazu no Jutsu (Demonic Illusion: False Surroundings Technique) huh? I'll guess I'll have to give you a 0/10 for this one then." Iruka said, slightly disappointed that Naruto failed to dispel a simple genjutsu.

"Oh man..." Naruto complained. _"I could've sworn I dispelled the genjutsu...What happened?"_

While Naruto thought over what happened, Mizuki hid a smirk.

**(Meanwhile...)**

A girl watched our blond hero from afar. She had mocha-coloured skin and was dressed in a plain red shirt with a equally plain black skirt. She had red eyes and had a wild and confident aura around her. But that wasn't her most defining feature. No, the most striking part of her was her literally flaming hair. Salamander watched as Naruto clapped his hands together and dispelled the genjutsu placed on him. However, when he tried to open a wall like he would a door, she knew something was off. She widened her eyes when she realized what had happened.

_"A double-layered genjutsu? Why would they use one on a mere Academy student?"_ She thought. Narrowing her eyes, her hair started to flare up as angry filled her thoughts when she saw the sliver-haired teacher hide his smirk.

_"T-that swine! How dare he sabotage my student!"_ Calming herself down, she decided to continue observing Naruto from afar before taking action.

**(A few moments later...)**

Naruto sighed as he took a seat while waiting for his turn to take the ninjutsu exam. He was starting to get slightly worried, especially after messing-up his genjutsu exam. Noticing that he wasn't alone in the row, he turned his head and saw a girl with blue hair. Recognizing her as Hyuuga Hinata, he moved down the row and approached her.

_"Naruto-kun doesn't seem to be very happy...I hope that everything's okay..." _Hinata thought to herself, occasionally glancing at her blond crush.

_"H-huh? EEP!"_ She squeaked in her head when she noticed Naruto moving down the row. It took all the self-control she had not to explode in embarrassment when he sat down next to her.

_"H-he's sitting next to me! Oh, what should I do? Should I talk to him? But I don't want to accidentally make him unhappier...Oh, I must look like a tomato right now..."_ She thought to herself when she felt her cheeks heat up(even more).

"Yo! You're Hyuuga Hinata right?" Naruto greeted.

"H-h-h-hai!" She stuttered out. "I-I-it's n-n-nice t-t-to m-meet y-you!"

"Eh? Ah, same here." He replied, slightly curious as to why she was blushing and stuttering. Putting his hand on her forehead, he tried to check if she had a fever. Needless to say, this act only made Hinata heat up like a furnace. Luckily (or unluckily) for her, Iruka then came into the room and called her.

"Good luck, Hinata-chan!" Naruto said.

"T-t-t-thank y-y-you." She stuttered, while she squealed on the inside. _"Naruto-kun called me "Hinata-chan", he called me "Hinata-chan"!"_

Now slightly more confident than before, Hinata made her way to the testing room. After waiting for another half-hour, he noticed someone else come out of the testing room. She had fair skin and straight black hair tied in a twin-tails style. Approaching her, Naruto gave a friendly wave, drawing her attention. She turned and looked at him with her onyx eyes.

"Yo, Satsuki-chan! How was the exam?" He greeted friendlily. Over the past few years, he had attempted to and somewhat succeeded in getting closer to her. The two were now on friendly terms(or at least, that's what Naruto would like to think). She nodded back her greeting, crossing her arms under her budding chest.

"It was easy for someone like me. I don't know about you though." She said. Faltering a bit, Naruto sighed.

"Hah...Yeah, after my accuracy and genjutsu tests, I'm going to have to do well if I want to pass..." He said glumly. Noticing this, Satsuki turned away and seemed to think through something, before opening her mouth.

"Well...Y-you better do well for this alright?! I-if you don't then I'll punish you! You got that?" She said, blushing slightly. Not that Naruto noticed though.

"Eh? R-right. Got it." He said, slightly taken aback by Satsuki's encouragement, though it was in a roundabout way.

"Hmph! Well then, I've other things to do. Bye." She said as she turned and walked away. At that moment, Iruka came out of one of the testing room and called for Naruto. Naruto nervously gulped as he followed Iruka into the room.

_"This is it...I have to pass this, or else...!"_ He thought to himself, gulping once more.

"Relax! If you've really been training hard then this shouldn't be difficult to you!" Iruka encouraged after noticing his student's nervousness.

"R-right! Just watch, Iruka-sensei! I'll pass this test, become genin, and then go on to become Hokage!" Naruto said determinedly, pumping his fist in the air.

"That's the spirit! Now then, shall we start?" Iruka said, addressing the last part to Mizuki, who was already waiting inside.

"Sure! Alright Naruto, your task is simple. Perform the Kawarimi no Jutsu (Body Replacement Technique), the Henge no Jutsu (Transformation Technique) and finally, the Bunshin no Jutsu (Clone Technique)." Mizuki explained to Naruto.

"URK! B-Bunshin no Jutsu?" Naruto parroted. _"I hope my training is enough..."_ He thought. While his chakra control has progressed, he wasn't sure he would be able to pull it off completely. He had no worries about the other two though.

"Don't worry, you should able to do fine! I wish you good luck Naruto!" Mizuki said, patting Naruto on the back.

_"I guess I'll try to cross that bridge when I get there..."_

First he performed the Kawarimi no Jutsu, replacing himself with a nearby table. He then did the Henge, transforming into a exact replica of Iruka.

_"Here comes the hard part...Alright, pull it together Naruto. Just do it like when you were training with Salamander..."_ He thought to himself.

He focused his chakra as he formed the seals, praying to Kami to let him succeed. His prayers were unanswered. In a burst of smoke, Naruto's heart sank when he saw a flimsy, sick looking clone on the ground.

"You fail." Iruka flatly said.

"C'mon Iruka-sensei! Can't you give me a chance?"

"Why not, Iruka? His performed decently well today, and this IS his third attempt. Why don't we let him pass this time?"

"Mizuki, all the other students managed to make at least three working clones, while Naruto couldn't even make a single one! It would be unfair to the other students if we just let him pass like that. I'm sorry Naruto, but I can't show any favoritism." As Iruka said that, Naruto silently began to walk out of the room.

_"Heheh. Looks like that seal I planted when I patted him worked! I'm surprised he still managed to do two of the jutsus though...Well, it doesn't matter. Time to put my plan in motion..." _Mizuki thought deviously to himself, hiding his smirk from Iruka. And since the seal would fade away on it's on, he didn't need to worry about that brat finding out!

* * *

Naruto silently watched as the graduates cheerfully congratulated each other, while being congratulated by their parents and family. He failed. That notion itself weighed heavily on him like a boulder. He had failed, not only himself, but Iruka-sensei, Salamander, Satsuki and everyone else who had cheered him on. As he sighed heavily, he noticed someone approaching him.

"S-Satsuki..." He muttered out.

"Hey. I heard that you didn't managed to pass...What happened?" She asked in concern. While she may not show it, the blond boy had really grown on her over the past couple of years. Seeing him like this is just...She just couldn't stand by and watch...

"I screwed up. That's what happened!" He bitterly said. Surprised by his negativity, Satsuki could do nothing but watch as Naruto looked down sadly.

"W-well...I hope that you'll pass next time." She muttered, unsure what to say. Deciding to give him some time to cheer up, Satsuki walked away from the blond.

"Iruka really wanted to pass you, y'know." Someone suddenly said. Turning his head, Naruto saw Mizuki standing next to him, a sympathetic expression on his face.

"Iruka's tough, but he's not against you."

"Then why? Why only me?"

"He wants you to be strong with all his heart, but that will never happen if he goes easy on you. He's like you, ya know? No parent...no family..."

"I know that! But...I really wanted to graduate this time!"

"Well...There is another way..." Mizuki slyly said. _"Heheh...Here's the bait."_

"A-another way?"

"Yup! It's a super-secret test, meant only for those who failed but have potential."

"R-really? Then hurry up and tell me!" Naruto eagerly said, desperate to pass.

_"Heheh, hook, line and sinker."_ Mizuki thought sinisterly. "You just need to do one little thing...

**(Meanwhile...)**

"I know how you feel Iruka..." Sarutobi said.

"Huh?"

"You grew up just like Naruto, without knowing the love of a mother and father, the warmth of a family." When he said that, Iruka's mind flashed back to when his parents died.

* * *

_The sounds of battle could be heard as a giant, nine-tailed fox rampaged on the land._

_"Don't let it get near the village!" One ninja shouted. Meanwhile, another had a young brunette boy struggling in his arms as he ran away from the chaos._

_"LET ME GO! MOM AND DAD ARE STILL FIGHTING IN THERE!" He screamed, futilely struggling against the stronger adult shinobi._

* * *

"Iruka, wake up!" Someone shouted frantically as he pounded on the door. Now awake, Iruka rushed to the door and saw Mizuki.

"What? What is it?" He questioned.

"You need to go to Hokage-sama's office right away! It's Naruto, he stole the Scroll of Sealing!"

**(Meanwhile...)**

"Man, that was easy!" Naruto commented to himself. All it had took to steal the scroll was just a well timed Oiroke no Jutsu(Sexy Technique).

_"Heheh, Jiji went down easily!"_ He thought triumphantly to himself. "Now then...Mizuki-sensei said that the meeting point was around here..."

Naruto then glanced around, taking note of his surroundings. He grinned in satisfaction when he saw a old shed, exactly like the one that Mizuki had specified. Approaching it, Naruto opened the scroll and started to read it. If he could just learn one jutsu, just one, he would finally be able to become a shinobi!

"Just what IS this thing anyway? I mean, it has to mean something if it was in Jiji's office after all." Naruto thought aloud as he unfurled the scroll. His eyes then saw the first jutsu on the scroll.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu?" He mumbled out.

**(Meanwhile...)**

Iruka jumped frantically through the trees as he scanned the forest for his blond student.

"Dammit, Naruto...Why did you steal the Scroll of Sealing?" He mumbled worriedly to himself. _"Just where could he_ _be?" _

As he travelled further into the dense forest, he eventually heard the sound of something popping. Deciding to investigate, Iruka increased his pace. When he reached the clearing, the first thing he noticed was Naruto sitting next to an old shed, panting heavily. Naruto then lifted his head up when he heard Iruka land, his face breaking out in a large grin.

"Not bad, sensei. You caught me already! I only had time to learn one technique!" Naruto jubilantly said. "Listen Iruka-sensei! I'm gonna show you this amazing jutsu and you're gonna let me graduate! That's the way it works right? Anyone who learns a jutsu from this scroll passes."

"Wha-Where did you get that idea from?"

"Mizuki-sensei told me! He told me where to find the scroll and everything and-" He trailed off when he saw Iruka's shocked face.

_"Mizuki?!"_ Iruka barely had time to think as he then noticed several kunai flying towards them.

Iruka leapt forward and pushed Naruto out of the way of the sharp projectiles. However, a few impaled themselves on his arms and legs.

"I see you found our little hideout." Mizuki said as he revealed himself.

"So that's how it is huh? I should've known!"

"Naruto, give me the scroll now!" Mizuki shouted, turning to the blond boy.

"Wha? Wait a minute, what's going on here?!"

"Naruto! Don't let Mizuki get the scroll! It contains forbidden jutsu that can put this village in grave danger! Mizuki is using you to get the scroll for himself!" Iruka said as he pulled out a kunai from his arm, panting.

"Naruto! Iruka is just trying to scare you cause he doesn't want you to have the scroll."

"Stop lying Mizuki! Don't let him trick you Naruto!"

"Hahahaha! Oh, I'll tell you who's really lying." Mizuki said, laughing mockingly.

"What?" Naruto asked, getting more and more disoriented.

"NO! Mizuki, don't!" Iruka desperately shouted.

"They've been lying to you your whole life Naruto. Since the decree twelve years ago." Mizuki said, grinning wildly.

"D-decree?"

"Everyone knows except you. Iruka's trying to hide it from you even now. He'd do anything to shut me up!"

"What is this decree? Why does everyone else know about it?"

"Don't tell him, it's forbidden!"

"The decree is that no one can tell you that the Kyuubi is inside you!"

"W-what?" Naruto muttered out. His entire world had slowed down as the implications of what Mizuki said dawned on him.

"Looks like you've started to realize it. That's right, you're the Kyuubi! The demon fox that killed Iruka's parents and destroyed our village has taken over your body! You're the nine-tailed fox!" Mizuki said, grin widening even further.

"N-no. Tha-that can't be true!" Naruto said in shock, backing away from Mizuki.

"Oh, I can assure you, it's very true. Everyone's been sneaking around hiding things from you for your whole life. Didn't you think it was strange how they treated you? Like dirt?! Like they hated you for just being alive?!"

"I...I..." Naruto stuttered, unable to speak. "D-damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it!" He shouted out in frustration as bright blue chakra began swirling around him.

"Hahah! You understand now don't you? No one's going to recognize you! Even Iruka despises you! NOW DIE, DEMON!" Mizuki screamed when he realized his chance to kill off the blond.

Naruto turned away and started to crawl/run away, fear gripping him.

"NARUTO, DUCK!" He heard someone shout. Putting his hands up in an attempt to shield himself, he shut his eyes when he heard the sound of impaled flesh, only to open his eyes again when he realized that he wasn't in any pain.

He looked up and saw Iruka gasping in pain. Iruka then hacked, blood dropping onto Naruto's face.

"W-why?

"Because you're the same as me..."

"Eh?" Naruto asked in shock, eyes widening.

"Ever since my parents died, no one ever complimented me or recognized me... Being the bad student that I was, I screwed up a lot in class...Because I wanted to get everyone's attention. I couldn't get anyone's attention when I was a good student...So I played the part of the fool. It was tough..." Iruka explained, tears starting to flow out of his eyes.

"Right, Naruto? You were lonely, right? It was tough, right?" At this, Naruto could only stare in shock as Iruka cried.

"I'm sorry, Naruto. You wouldn't have felt this way if I'd been more aware." Iruka finished.

"Don't make me laugh! Iruka has hated you since you killed his parents!" Mizuki shouted, disgusted at what he was seeing. "He just wants that scroll back!"

"Shut up." Naruto said, closing his eyes.

***INSERT OST:始まりの章 -Gaim OST Track 2(just copy the words. This is completely optional and for**** ambience.****And don't worry about the ending of the OST, let it end when it does.)***

"Eh?" Both Iruka and Mizuki intelligently asked, surprised at his sudden reply.

"I said shut up!" Naruto shouted in anger. "Right now...I...I don't know who to trust anymore dammit!"

"N-Naruto..." Iruka said, saddened when he said that.

"But...I do know one thing."

"Oh? What was is that?" Mizuki asked mockingly.

"I know that...I'm going to beat you." Naruto said, glaring angrily at Mizuki.

"Hah! You beat me? You couldn't even pass your exam! You're too weak to beat me!" Mizuki laughed.

"You're right. As I am now, I am weak. But even so, I'm not going to back down."

"What are you talking about Naruto? Take the scroll and leave!" Iruka shouted.

"I won't. I'm not going to leave you here." Naruto stated defiantly.

"W-what?"

"You were right Iruka-sensei. I was lonely. It was tough. But...Somewhere deep down inside of me, I know that it wasn't always like that." He said as the images of two girls flashed through his mind.

"I used to have two really close friends. We played together a lot, and it was fun. But somehow, we were separated and forgot about each other... But I know that they were there." Naruto said, closing his eyes once more.

"Don't be a fool! You can't beat Mizuki! Run away, and let me handle him!" Iruka protested.

"Don't worry, sensei. I may not remember them very well, and for all I know, they might be dead. But until I find out who they are, until I find out what happened, I'm not going to die. That's a promise." He replied, drawing out his weathered bokken.

"Right now, I'm going to protect you like you did for me. I will...I will become a sword that protects!"

"Grhh...Cheap talk! I've had enough of this, time to die!" Mizuki growled. He then lunged forward with a kunai in hand, aiming for Naruto's jugular.

Naruto blocked the kunai with his bokken, then used his free hand to punch Mizuki in the gut. Caught unawares, Mizuki staggered back after taking the blow. Mizuki lashed back with a few quick swipes from his kunai, which were all swiftly blocked by Naruto.

_"Tch, like that time during that taijutsu test, he's faster than I thought."_ Mizuki thought to himself. He threw a few shuriken in an attempt to distract the blonde and formed a Tori(Bird) seal.

"Doton: Doryūsō(Earth Release: Earth Flow Spears)!" Mizuki shouted, shaping the mud on the ground into spikes. He then sent them at Naruto, aiming to skewer him.

Mizuki grinned when he saw the jutsu pierce through the blond's body.

"Too bad...Looks like you couldn't do anything to me huh, demon? Well, demons like you deserve to be killed anyway. Now then, time to take the scroll and meet up with Orochimaru-sama's agents."

"Sheesh, and they say I talk too much." A voice said from above him.

"N-Nani?" Mizuki said as he dodged to the side, a bokken smashing down on the ground he was standing a few moments ago.

_"But how?! I saw him get pierced!"_ Mizuki thought to himself, glancing at the mud spikes he had formed. His eyes widened when he saw a log in the place of Naruto.

_"The Kawarimi? To think that I was tricked by such a basic jutsu..." _

Mizuki dodged a leg sweep from Naruto and brandished the large shuriken on his back. Naruto's rapid slashes were blocked due to the shuriken's large size and Mizuki's proficiency in using the large projectile.

"Heheh. Looks that that puny wooden sword of yours can't do shit to me now, huh demon brat?" Mizuki taunted. "Something like that won't be enough if you want to beat me!"

Naruto then stabbed the bokken into the ground, as he brought his hands together.

"So what? If one sword won't work, then how about a few hundred?" Naruto shot back, his fingers locking together in a cross-shaped hand seal. In a gargantuan puff of smoke, the forest was soon flooded with Naruto clones.

"W-what the? How can a weakling like you perform a technique like this?" Mizuki asked in disbelief.

_"You have truly grown, Naruto..."_ Iruka thought to himself in awe.

"GET HIM!" The original Naruto shouted, with shouts of agreement resounding from his clones. They descended upon Mizuki mercilessly and relentlessly. For the sanity of the reader and the audience, the exact method of how Mizuki was pulverized is omitted.

Needless to say, after they were done with the traitorous shinobi, he was barely recognizable.

"Whew. I glad that's over."

"I hope you at least kept him alive..." Iruka said, sweatdropping.

"Huh? Well, he's alive. But why do we need someone like him?"

"We still need to interrogate him. He mentioned Orochimaru in your fight. If that snake's agents really are inside the village, then we need to know." Iruka explained. He then noticed Naruto's blank expression.

"Hah...You DO remember who Orochimaru is, right?"

"Er...Oh, look the sun's rising!" Naruto said, trying to change the subject.

_"You obviously forgot!...Or didn't pay attention. I don't know which is worst..."_ Iruka thought, ticked off. _"I guess no matter how much he matures, some things never change huh?"_

He then smiled fondly and took off his hitai-ate.

"Naruto, close your eyes for a while."

"Huh? Alright." Naruto said, doing as instructed. He then felt his goggles get removed and in their place, he felt cloth.

"Alright, you can open your eyes now." Naruto opened his eyes, eyes drifting upwards to see a hitai-ate on his forehead. Naruto turned and looked at Iruka in shock, who was now devoid of his hitai-ate.

"I...I...Just, thank you Iruka-sensei." Naruto said gratefully.

"Hahah. You've earned it Naruto. From now onwards, you are officially a genin of Konohagakure. Congratulations!"

* * *

"I'm home..." Naruto tiredly muttered. He had just returned from a lengthy discussion with the Hokage and Iruka. The meeting had taken longer than he had expected and with what he had went through earlier, he was exhausted. By the time they had finished, it was already near 12 noon.

_**"You sure took your time."**_

"Huh? Oh,*yawn* Salamander."

_**"Sheesh, couldn't you be a bit more enthusiastic with your greetings? But, I can't blame you I guess. You did go through a lot today. Or should I say yesterday?"**_

"Eh? You know about what happened?"

_**"Of course I do! I was there after all!"**_ She proudly stated. Upon hearing this, Naruto got a tick-mark on his head.

"So you're telling me that you were there all along...And didn't bother to help?"

_**"W-well, in my defense, I knew you could handle it!"**_

"But still! I could have died back there! The least you could have done was help a bit!"

_**"H-hey I was right in the end all right? You are obviously alive after all."**_

"Whatever, I'm too tired. I'm going to bed."

_**"Naruto."**_

"Huh? What is it this time?"

_**"I just wanted to let you know, I'm really proud of you. You're progressing so quicker than what I had expected when I first met you. You've already defeated two opponents who should've been stronger than you. So...Yeah. I'm really proud of**** you."**_Salamander said, scratching her cheek.

Slightly surprised at her words, Naruto smiled tiredly but gratefully at her and went into his room.

Salamander plopped down onto the couch, sighing. She was honestly worried about her student's sanity when Mizuki revealed that Naruto had the Kyuubi within him. Not that she would ever let him know.

_"But still, he really is like **him** huh? They both progress so fast, and they have the same aura around them..." _She thought, thinking nostalgically about the past.

* * *

**_"Why are you doing this? Didn't we promise to fight_****_ together?"_**_Salamander desperately shouted, drifting further and further away. She could still make it, if she could just-_

* * *

Shaking her head, Salamander snapped herself out of the memory.

_"Now isn't the time to dwell on past regrets. I've got someone else to protect now..." _She thought to herself.

**(Meanwhile...)**

"Hahahahahah! The boy had truly grown! He will play a pivotal part in our upcoming performance! The stage will soon be set, now it's time to wait for the actors and actresses to come. Uzumaki Naruto! I can't wait to see what you will do...Hahahahahah!"

* * *

**A/N: What's with Salamander's mysterious past? What will Naruto do from now on? And who is that at the end? Find out in the next chapter!...Which probably won't be coming anytime soon. Oh, well.**

**IMPORTANT MESSAGE, I REPEAT, IMPORTANT MESSAGE: I just want to address something. I've noticed that my viewer count is really dwindling. For those of you who are thinking of quitting on me, I would just like you to tell me what is it about my story that you like/don't like? If you don't tell me what I'm doing right and what I'm doing wrong, then I can't improve! If you're tired of reading a shitty story, then HELP me by giving me a review or a PM to tell me where I went wrong. I want to make a good story, you want to read a good story. It's a win-win for both of us if you could just give me a review/PM telling me what I'm doing right and what I'm doing wrong. I can't improve if I don't know what's wrong. So help me out here people.**

**P.S: Alternatively, you could help me advertise and stuff like that. Give me some publicity people!**

**P.P.S: LONGEST CHAPTER I'VE EVER WRITTEN!**


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